The Shiloh Chronicle

Shiloh

THE SHILOH CHRONICLE BY DAVID HOLMQUIST

2023

Shiloh

THE SHILOH CHRONICLE BY DAVID HOLMQUIST

The Shiloh Chronicle Trustwriter Press, Rexburg, Idaho, 83440 © 2023 by Trustwriter Press LLC. All rights reserved Digitalized and Printed in the United States of America ISBN 979-8-88526-086-2

The Shiloh Chronicle

Young Child 01

Remember, that even if others do not believe in your dreams, God believes in your dreams

03

The instructions Taught here are of importance to the children of men.

King Limhi's Enquiry 19

Life is full of weary hearts struggling to make it through each day

Peace Be Still 20

A little child is innocent and precious. Their souls are pure.

Jesus Loves You 21

Photo Credit by Sebin Thomas

All we do, must be strictly in accordance with the mind and word, the will and law of God.

Blessing’s In Store

The Shiloh Chronicle

Eternal Importance 32

A fathers need for serious discussion with their boys on obligations assumed when a boy becomes a deacon.

40

When the Lord shall come, will ye say that there is no God?

An Unchangeable God 43

The Lord will help us in every aspect of our lives when we are trying to serve Him and do His will.

A God of Miracles 46

Passing into immortality taking with us the riches of our characters and the knowledge we have gained here.

The Origin of Man 50

Photo Credit by Sebin Thomas

An unshakable faith in the reality of the resurrected Lord and in the certainty of the resurrection of all mankind will provide peace.

Divine Redeemer

The Shiloh Chronicle

Reach For Joy 54

though deepening trials throng our way, we know that our afflictions can be consecrated to our good.

57

When brought forth from the grave, we shall have a most perfect knowledge of our past experience.

Faith and Visions of the Ancients 67

Peter, John, Paul, and James on the falling away were not paranoia but prophetic warnings about “Apostasia.”

From the Beginning 71

Do we seek for His abiding comfort?

Do we know His voice when He calls out to each one of us?

Redeemer of My Soul

Photo Credit by Sebin Thomas

YOUNG CHILD 1

October 7, 2023

It is time for the long night of darkness to make its close in your life. Your heart is longing for a new horizon to rise up and shine forth out of your bosom, radiating your light with energetic power.

Your heart calls you to a higher sphere of living.

Your very presence here in mortality pleases the Almighty of both heaven and earth. There is not a single soul here upon this earth that Almighty God does not love.

Remember, that even if others do not believe in your dreams, God believes in your dreams and so do I. It is true as well that there are others around you who believe in your dreams as well if you will just splash those dreams onto others and allow them to feel of your goodness. Your dreams do matter! Believe and trust in yourself, dear precious child!

Young child with dreams. As I ponder this statement, I think of each person that inhabits this earth. Though I do not know every person that walks the paths of this world, we all are Children of a loving Heavenly Father, and that makes us connected to each other.

YOUNG CHILD

WITH DREAMS!

As you walk the path of this life, dream your every dream on your own. Your dreams are yours and no one else’s. Though not everyone is going to believe in your dreams, they are yours and you are beautifully unique to carry out those dreams, to touch the lives of others, who are so desperately waiting to come into your life.

When children play, there are no limits in their minds. They just play. They laugh, they squill with joy and gladness in their lives. They do not worry about the next hour or the next week and month.

They trust in their mother and their father, and they are loved and cared for. God wants us to trust him in this way.

So often when children play, they end up playing alone.

2

“Daddy, will you play with me?”

Daddy says that he would love to be with you if only he had the time.

So, the child who once had a smile on their face turns toward the ground and the smile disappears into sadness.

Dear child, it seems like you end up alone?

So the child then turns on the only friend that they can find and that is the friend within the mind.

As adults we forget what it is like to use our imagination. We get so caught up in our busy lives that we forget what it is like to be a child.

Imagination is the greatest friend of a child.

Imagination is what brings all the childhood dreams to reality!

Our responsibilities become more important than our precious inner child. So, we stop being playful and happy like a child.

IMAGINATION IS

OUR GREAT FRIEND!

Please let the precious child within you be free. It is time to take the key that locked your precious inner child into the closed corridor within and unlock that door never to be locked again.

Your precious little children are waiting for you to carry them in your arms and to run and play with them. They want to hear you laugh and be excited with them.

Laugh a little, smile a little, let the sparkle in your eyes flicker once again!

They want you to be just as playful as they are and to be just as excited about life as they are!

KING LIMHI’S ENQUIRY 3

Sunday Afternoon Dec. 9, 1877

Since coming to this stand I have been reminded of a certain passage contained in the “Book of Mormon” (commencing on page 161), which I will read.

"Now, as soon as Ammon had read the record, the king inquired of him to know if he could interpret languages, and Ammon told him that he could not.

And the king said unto him: Being grieved for the afflictions of my people, I caused that forty and three of my people should take a journey into the wilderness, that thereby they might find the land of Zarahemla, that we might appeal unto our brethren to deliver us out of bondage. And they were lost in the wilderness many days, yet they were diligent, and found not the land of Zarahemla but returned to this land, having traveled in a land of many waters, having discovered a land which was covered with bones of men, and of beasts, and was also covered with ruins of buildings of every kind, having discovered a land which had been inhabited with a people who were as numerous as the hosts of Israel.”

“And for a testimony that the things that they have said are true they have brought twenty-four plates which are filled with engravings, and they are of pure gold. And behold, also, they have brought breastplates, which are large, and they are of brass and of copper, and are perfectly sound. And again, they have brought swords, the hilts thereof have perished, and the blades thereof were cankered with rust; and there is no one in the land that is able to interpret the language or the engravings that are on the plates. Therefore I said unto thee: Canst thou translate? And I say unto thee again: Knowest thou of any one that can translate? For I am desirous that these records should be translated into our language; for, perhaps, they will give us a knowledge of the remnant of the people who have been destroyed, from whence these records came; or, perhaps, they will give us a knowledge of this very people who have been destroyed; and I am desirous to know the cause of their destruction.”

by Elder Orson Pratt

“Now Ammon said unto him: I can assuredly tell thee, O king, of a man that can translate the records; for he has wherewith he can look and translate all records that are of ancient date; and it is a gift from God. And the things are called interpreters, and no man can look in them except he be commanded, lest he should look for that he ought not, and he should perish. And whosoever is commanded to look in them, the same is called seer. And behold, the king of the people who is in the land of Zarahemla is the man that is commanded to do these things, and who has the high gift from God.”

“And the king said that a seer is greater than a prophet. And Ammon said that a seer is a revelator and a prophet also; and a gift which is greater can no man have, except he should possess the power of God, which no man can; yet a man may have great power given him from God.”

4 The instructions that are imparted here, which I have just read, are of importance to the children of men. We are here taught about a very great, and precious, and high gift that comes from God —the gift of being a Seer, a Revelator, a Prophet, (D&C 107:92) (D&C 124:125) an inspired man. Not only to receive revelation from God, but to interpret revelations given to other Prophets who lived in times before, bringing to light knowledge, and intelligence, and wisdom, and the dealings of God with the human family, among more ancient people. This gift is more fully explained in the “Book of Mormon” than in the Jewish record. We have in the Jewish record, the Bible, some information in relation to the instrument here called interpreter, but which is called in that record by another name, namely, Urim and Thummim. (Exodus 28:30)

“But a seer can know of things which are passed, and also of things which are to come, and by them shall all things be revealed, or, rather, shall secret things be made manifest, and hidden things shall come to light, and things which are not known shall be made known by them, and also things shall be made known by them which otherwise could not be known. Thus, God has provided a means that man, through faith, might work mighty miracles; therefore, he becometh of great benefit to his fellow beings.”

“And now, when Ammon had made an end of speaking these words the king rejoiced exceedingly, and gave thanks to God, saying: Doubtless a great mystery is contained within these plates, and these interpreters were doubtless prepared for unfolding all such mysteries to the children of men.”

“O how marvelous are the works of the Lord, and how long doth he suffer with his people; yea, and how blind and impenetrable are the understandings of the children of men; for they will not seek wisdom, neither do they desire that she should rule over them! Yea, they are as a wild flock which fleeth from the shepherd, and scattereth, and are driven, and are devoured by the beasts of the forest.” (Mosiah 8:6-21)

It was a gift that was exercised in the days of Moses, among the house of Israel: it was a gift specially given to Aaron, the brother of Moses, who was appointed the chief priest over all the tribes of Israel. The Lord saw proper to give him instructions in relation to the duties of his office and calling, how he should be clad, what kind of priestly garments he should wear, what he should perform in administering certain ordinances and how he should perform them; and also gave unto him some instruction in regard to the breastplate, that was called the breastplate of judgment. (Exodus 28:30) (Leviticus 8:8)

The reason of this was that Aaron was appointed to be a judge among the children of Israel, occupying a similar place among that people that the President of the Bishopric occupies in the Church. But he was blessed above those who have been ordained to the same calling in this dispensation, for he was in possession of the Urim and Thummim, and by virtue of this instrument he could inquire of the Lord in relation to every case that should be brought before him for adjudication. The judgment of man is naturally very weak and imperfect, and inasmuch as Aaron was required to judge the people of God, it was of the utmost importance that all his decisions should be given in righteousness, that there should be no imperfections connected with them, and for that reason the Lord gave express instructions to Aaron, through his brother Moses, to have a breastplate.

5 In this breastplate were twelve stones, representing the Twelve Tribes of Israel, (Exodus 28:15-21) and in the center of these rows of stones the Urim and Thummim was placed, and when he was required to render judgment upon any matter, he inquired of the Lord through it, and was enabled to give decisions according to the word of the Lord. (Exodus 28:29-30)

We have other accounts given in the Bible concerning the exercise of this same gift. David was blessed with this gift, and when Saul was pursuing him from place to place, seeking his life, he would inquire of the Lord, by means of a similar instrument, and receive revelations. (1 Samuel 23:9-14) (1 Samuel 30:7-8)

The nature of his inquiries was—Would Saul go to such a city seeking him? Would the people of such a city deliver him into his hands? And the Lord would answer him, and he of course would govern himself accordingly. This gift seems to have been of frequent occurrence among the Israelites in their several generations, down to a few centuries before the coming of Christ. Then it seems that Israel so far transgressed the law of heaven, and so far strayed from the Lord that the Urim and Thummim was taken from their midst, as you will find mentioned by one of the Prophets in the Jewish Bible; (Ezra 2:63) (Neh. 7:65) it was taken from them, and they were to abide many days without this instrument, also without a king and without sacrifices, (Hosea 3:4) and eventually the ordinances of God were to be taken from them.

6 It seems that forty-three of the people of King Limhi had been sent from the kingdom where they resided, which was down at, or near Ecuador, in South America, to search the land which they had left some two or three generations before; (Mosiah 8:7) and they lost their way in the wilderness, and failed to find Zarahemla, the land they were seeking, which was in the northern part of South America. They passed by the land through a wilderness country, and it appears that they went into North America. They found all the land which they explored covered with ruins of buildings and cities, and they found the bones of men and animals, (Mosiah 8:8) and among other things they found twenty-four plates which were of pure gold, on which were engravings, which they brought, among other things, to King Limhi.

(Mosiah 8:9-11)

In other words, they were to be left without revelators, without prophets, without an inspired king to rule over them, all of which has been fulfilled for many centuries in the dispersion of the descendants of Jacob from their land of promise, among the nations whithersoever they are driven, without having any king; they do not offer sacrifices as anciently; they have no priest with the breastplate of judgment, and Urim and Thummim to inquire of the Lord.

It seems that the Lord manifested himself to the people of this great western continent in a similar manner. Here he raised up Prophets, and here they were in possession of an instrument, although not called strictly by the same name, yet an instrument evidently designed by the Almighty as a medium of communication to his people. King Mosiah, who lived sometime after the Israelites came to the American continent, some few centuries before the first coming of Christ, he had this great gift. Ammon, a servant of God, who explained this gift to King Limhi, tells us the nature of the gift. He informs us that Mosiah had wherewith he could look and interpret writing and engraving of ancient date. (Mosiah 8:13)

He at that time was a righteous man, as well as most of his people, and they were exceedingly anxious to know the interpretations of the engravings, believing that they would give some account of the people who had occupied the country where they were found. They wanted to know what had become of so great a people, for evidently it appeared to them they had been very numerous. (Mosiah 8:12) And it was for this purpose that Ammon was questioned. Ammon was a man who had been sent up in the meantime from the northern portions of South America, called Zarahemla, and he informed King Limhi that the King of Zarahemla had this high gift from God, (Mosiah 8:14) that he was a seer, and could, by using the interpreters, interpret ancient languages. (Mosiah 8:13) Hence the rejoicing of the king, because there was a man who could give them the information, they were so anxious to find out.

Afterwards we have a history in the “Book of Mormon,” of the people of King Limhi having been driven out by some of the wicked portions of the people. (Mosiah 22:11-14) He came to the land of Zarahemla, taking, with his colony, these twentyfour plates, and asking King Mosiah to translate them into the Nephite language.

7 He did so; and they gave an account of a people —who came from the tower of Babel, at the time of the confusion of tongues; (Mosiah 28:11-20) that they landed upon this north country, called North America, and dwelt here some sixteen or seventeen centuries, and they were part of the time a righteous people, and a part of the time wicked. And many Prophets existed among the ancient colony, and they kept their records, some upon metallic plates and others upon other materials. There was a Prophet at the time of the destruction of this first colony whose name was Ether. He wrote an abridgment of the Jaredites, also an account of their coming to this land from the Tower of Babel; he wrote also concerning the creation of the world, and the doings of the Lord from the beginning down to the building of the great tower, this short account was given on these twenty-four plates. And there is also given in the “Book of Mormon,” by Moroni, the man who hid up the plates from which the book was translated, a very short sketch of the history of this first colony that came from the tower, under the name of the “Book of Ether.” (Ether 1:1-5)

And in this Book of Ether, we find that they had some thirty kings from the time they left Babel, and that they were finally destroyed because of great wickedness, to fulfil a prophecy and decree which the Lord made when he was bringing them forth to this land. The decree was that if they or their descendants should fall into wickedness and become fully ripened in iniquity, that the Lord would utterly destroy them, and bring forth another people to possess the land in their stead. (Ether 2:7-12) (Ether 13:20-21) Accordingly these twenty-four plates mention their overthrow, how they were destroyed; also some mention is made of their most eminent Prophets, and much instruction is given in regard to the coming to this land of this first colony, how they were brought here by the Lord from the tower, and how, in passing through the valley called Nimrod, the Lord himself went before their camp in a cloud, teaching them and instructing, and leading them, the same as he afterwards led the children of Israel. (Ether 2:4-5)

And he brought them to great waters, (Ether 2:13) where they were commanded of him to build vessels, (Ether 2:16-21 ) which they did, eight in number, (Ether 3:1) by which, under the particular care of the Almighty, they were brought across the great Pacific, as we now term it, taking them three hundred and forty-four days, (Ether 6:11) and finally they landed upon the western coast of North America, as near as we can determine from this book, in Mexico, south of the Gulf of California. (Ether 6:12)

And that when the brother of Jared was coming to this land the Lord gave him some very remarkable visions, and, among other things he gave him the Urim and Thummim, (D&C 17:1) prepared two crystal stones in two rims of a bow, and sanctified them, (Ether 3:23,28) (Ether 4:5) (JS—H 1:35) and showed to the brother of Jared many marvelous things, some of which I will read, for the instruction of those who have not, perhaps, given their attention to these matters.

8 I will read first how the Lord lighted up the eight vessels in which the colony from the tower came.

“Howbeit, ye cannot cross this great deep save I prepare you against the waves of the sea, and the winds which have gone forth, and the floods which shall come. Therefore, what will ye that I should prepare for you that ye may have light when ye are swallowed up in the depths of the sea?” (Ether 2:25) Their barges were so constructed that they could dive under the waves and be brought up again, and thus they were driven by the force of the winds for 344 days. (Ether 6:5-11)

“And it came to pass that the brother of Jared, (now the number of the vessels which had been prepared was eight) went forth unto the mount, which they called the mount Shelem, because of its exceeding height, and did molten out of a rock sixteen small stones; and they were white and clear, even as transparent glass; and he did carry them in his hands upon the top of the mount, and cried again unto the Lord, saying: O Lord, thou hast said that we must be encompassed about by the floods. Now behold, O Lord, and do not be angry with thy servant because of his weakness before thee; for we know that thou art holy and dwellest in the heavens, and that we are unworthy before thee; because of the fall our natures have become evil continually; nevertheless, O Lord, thou hast given us a commandment that we must call upon thee, that from thee we may receive according to our desires. Behold, O Lord, thou hast smitten us because of our iniquity, and hast driven us forth, and for these many years we have been in the wilderness; nevertheless, thou hast been merciful unto us. O Lord, look upon me in pity, and turn away thine anger from this thy people, and suffer not that they shall go forth across this raging deep in darkness; but behold these things which I have molten out of the rock. And I know, O Lord, that thou hast all power, and can do whatsoever thou wilt for the benefit of man; therefore, touch these stones, O Lord, with thy finger, and prepare them that they may shine forth in darkness; and they shall shine forth unto us in the vessels which we have prepared, that we may have light while we shall cross the sea. Behold, O Lord, thou canst do this. We know that thou art able to show forth great power, which looks small unto the understanding of men.” (Ether 3:1-5)

You can see from the very language itself, what great confidence this man of God had in relation to the doings of the Lord. It was not a thing that looked impossible to him for the Lord to touch these sixteen stones, two of which were to be placed in each vessel, one at each end. (Ether 6:2) He knew the Lord could touch them, and that it was possible for him to cause them to shine forth in these vessels, giving them light while they crossed the ocean. (Ether 6:3)

“And it came to pass that when the brother of Jared had said these words, behold, the Lord stretched forth his hand and touched the stones one by one with his finger. And the veil was taken from off the eyes of the brother of Jared, and he saw the finger of the Lord; and it was as the finger of a man, like unto flesh and blood; and the brother of Jared fell down before the Lord, for he was struck with fear. And the Lord saw that the brother of Jared had fallen to the earth; and the Lord said unto him: Arise, why hast thou fallen? And he saith unto the Lord: I saw the finger of the Lord, and I feared lest he should smite me; for I knew not that the Lord had flesh and blood. And the Lord said unto him: Because of thy faith thou hast seen that I shall take upon me flesh and blood.” (Ether 3:6-9)

9 It must have been the spirit of our great Redeemer whose finger he then saw, thousands of years before he came and took a body of flesh and bones.

“And never has man come before me with such exceeding faith as thou hast; for were it not so ye could not have seen my finger. Sawest thou more than this? And he answered: Nay; Lord, show thyself unto me. And the Lord said unto him: Believest thou the words which I shall speak?

And he answered: Yea, Lord, I know that thou speakest the truth, for thou art a God of truth, and canst not lie. And when he had said these words, behold, the Lord showed himself unto him, and said: Because thou knowest these things ye are redeemed from the fall; therefore, ye are brought back into my presence; therefore, I show myself unto you.” (Ether 3:9-13)

You know that one of the penalties of the fall was, that man should be shut out from the presence of God, by this mortal tabernacle; but this man, because of his knowledge and the great faith he had obtained, had the veil removed and was restored back again to the presence of God, as man was before the fall.

“Behold, I am he who was prepared from the foundation of the world to redeem my people.”

(Ether 3:14) The Lord had the plan already laid before this world was made or brought into existence. And it was all understood in the councils of eternity about the Lord's coming in the meridian of time to take upon himself flesh and blood. It was understood that he should suffer death and be as a Lamb slain from before the foundation of the world, (Rev. 13:8) (Moses 5:57) (Moses 7:47) in the mind of God. “Behold, I am Jesus Christ. I am the Father and the Son. In me shall all mankind have life, and that eternally, even they who shall believe on my name; and they shall become my sons and my daughters. And never have I showed myself unto man whom I have created, for never has man believed in me as thou hast. Seest thou that ye are created after mine own image? Yea, even all men were created in the beginning after mine own image. Behold, this body, which ye now behold, is the body of my spirit” (not a body of flesh and bones, but the shape, the stature and form of the body of his spirit, a pure and immortal body), “and man have I created after the body of my spirit; and even as I appear unto thee to be in the spirit will I appear unto my people in the flesh.

“And now, as I, Moroni, said I could not make a full account of these things which are written, therefore it sufficeth me to say that Jesus showed himself unto this man in the spirit, even after the manner and in the same likeness of the same body even as he showed himself unto the Nephites.” (Ether 3:14-17)

The Nephites were Israelites to whom Jesus appeared after his resurrection.

“And he ministered unto him, even as he ministered unto the Nephites; and all this, that this man might know that he was God, because of the many great works which the Lord had showed unto him. And because of the knowledge of this man, he could not be kept from beholding within the veil; and he saw the finger of Jesus, which, when he saw, he fell with fear; for he knew it was the finger of the Lord; and he had faith no longer, for he knew, nothing doubting. Wherefore, having this perfect knowledge of God, he could not be kept from within the veil; therefore, he saw Jesus; and he did minister unto him. And it came to pass that the Lord said unto the brother of Jared: Behold, thou shalt not suffer these things which ye have seen and heard to go forth unto the world, until the time cometh that I shall glorify my name in the flesh; wherefore, ye shall treasure up the things which ye have seen and heard and show it to no man.”

(Ether 3:18-21)

10 What a great gift it is to know and see by the enlightenment of the Spirit, by vision, things that have taken place from the beginning of this world; to see, for instance, all the inhabitants of the earth that had been prior to the day that the Lord gave this vision; and then all the inhabitants of the earth that should be, even to the end of the world. “For he had said unto him in times before, that if he would believe in him that he could show unto him all things—it should be shown unto him; therefore, the Lord could not withhold anything from him, for he knew that the Lord could show him all things. And the Lord said unto him: Write these things and seal them up; and I will show them in mine own due time unto the children of men.

It seems that the Lord did not wish to show these things to others, when the people had not sufficient faith. These things were too great and glorious for them at that early period of the world to be made acquainted with. But at a certain time, when his name should be glorified in the flesh, and after he should rise from the dead, then he would permit these things to come forth, which he did among the ancient Israelites on this continent; they were then translated into the Nephite language and brought to light. But the Lord said unto the brother of Jared: “And behold, when ye shall come unto me, ye shall write them and shall seal them, up that no one can interpret them; for ye shall write them in a language that they cannot be read. And behold, these two stones will I give unto thee, and ye shall seal them up also with the things which ye shall write. For behold, the language which ye shall write I have confounded; wherefore I will cause in my own due time that these stones shall magnify to the eyes of men these things which ye shall write. And when the Lord had said these words, he showed unto the brother of Jared all the inhabitants of the earth which had been, and also all that would be; and he withheld them not from his sight, even unto the ends of the earth.”

(Ether 3:22-25)

“And it came to pass that the Lord commanded him that he should seal up the two stones which he had received, and show them not, until the Lord should show them unto the children of men.

(Ether 3:26-28) And the Lord commanded the brother of Jared to go down out of the mount from the presence of the Lord and write the things which he had seen; and they were forbidden to come unto the children of men until after that he should be lifted up upon the cross; and for this cause did King Mosiah keep them.”

(Ether 4:1) I told you that Mosiah was a righteous man, and a revelator as well as a king, who dwelt on this American continent some few centuries before Christ, and when he interpreted the history of the people, he did not interpret these things that the brother of Jared saw in this great vision; the Lord would not permit him to do so.

“That they should not come unto the world until after Christ should show himself unto his people.

And after Christ truly had shown himself unto his people, he commanded that they should be made manifest.” (Ether 4:1-2) They were translated after Christ first appeared to the Nephites, and probably sent abroad among the Nephite nation. The Prophet Moroni says, “And now, after that, they have all dwindled in unbelief; and there is none, save it be the Lamanites, and they have rejected the gospel of Christ; therefore, I am commanded that I should hide them up again in the earth. Behold, I have written upon these plates the very things which the brother of Jared saw.” (Ether 4:3-4)

11 A great many, in reading this record carelessly, would wonder why it was that a part of these plates should be sealed, and why Joseph Smith should not be permitted to break the seal. It was because, in this great revelation, the sealed portion of the plates from which the Book of Mormon was taken, contained this great vision, given to the brother of Jared. Joseph was not permitted to translate it, neither to break the seal of the book; it is to be reserved to come forth in due time. The Prophet Moroni further says, “And there never were greater things made manifest than that which was made manifest unto the brother of Jared. Wherefore the Lord hath commanded me to write them; and I have written them. And he commanded me that I should seal them up; and he also hath commanded me that I should seal up the interpretation thereof,

wherefore I have sealed up the interpreters, according to the commandment of the Lord. For the Lord said unto me: They shall not go forth unto the Gentiles until the day that they shall repent of their iniquity and become clean before the Lord. And in that day that they shall exercise faith in me, saith the Lord, even as the brother of Jared did, that they may become sanctified in me, then will I manifest unto them the things which the brother of Jared saw, even to the unfolding unto them all my revelations, saith Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of the heavens and of the earth, and all things that in them are. And he that will contend against the word of the Lord, let him be accursed; and he that shall deny these things, let him be accursed; for unto them will I show no greater things, saith Jesus Christ; for I am he who speaketh.

12 You are not like those who have no revelation of whom the ancient apostle speaks, who were “Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth;” (2 Tim. 3:7) but you are of those, if you keep the commandments of God, who are not only learning from the word of God, but have a knowledge of all revealed truth by the power of the Spirit, the Comforter, (John 14:26) which is a revelator, an unction (1 John. 2:20) to all those who receive it; and they are able to bear record of the things which they formerly believed to be true. The Lord has thus raised up a great cloud of witnesses (Heb. 12:1) in connection with scores of thousands of others to bear record of the truth, in this last dispensation of the fullness of times.

And at my command the heavens are opened and are shut; and at my word the earth shall shake; and at my command the inhabitants thereof shall pass away, even so as by fire. And he that believeth not my words believeth not my disciples; and if it so be that I do not speak, judge ye; for ye shall know that it is I that speaketh, at the last day. (Ether 4:4-10) “But he that believeth these things which I have spoken, him will I visit with the manifestations of my Spirit, and he shall know and bear record.”

(Ether 4:11) Now, I want to appeal to the Latter-day Saints who occupy this room, whether this promise has been fulfilled to you, or not? I will read it again.

“But he that believeth these things which I have spoken, him will I visit with the manifestations of my Spirit, and he shall know and bear record.”

(Ether 4:11) It does not say, he shall merely have an opinion and bear record, but he shall know and bear record. Do you know that this book (the Book of Mormon) is true, (D&C 17:6) Latter-day Saints? Do you know that what I have been reading are the words of the Lord? If you have believed these things with all of your hearts, and complied with the commands of the Most High, manifesting your faith by your works, then you have been put in possession of this knowledge, and you know, by the Spirit which he has poured out from heaven upon you, that they are true, and in force to all the world, and this Spirit gives you a knowledge concerning all truth.

For because of my Spirit he shall know that these things are true; for it persuadeth men to do good. And whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do good is of me; for good cometh of none save it be of me. I am the same that leadeth men to all good; he that will not believe my words will not believe me—that I am; and he that will not believe me will not believe the Father who sent me. For behold, I am the Father, I am the light, and the life, and the truth of the world. Come unto me, O ye Gentiles, and I will show unto you the greater things, the knowledge which is hid up because of unbelief. Come unto me, O ye house of Israel, and it shall be made manifest unto you how great things the Father hath laid up for you, from the foundation of the world; and it hath not come unto you, because of unbelief. Behold, when ye shall rend that veil of unbelief which doth cause you to remain in your awful state of wickedness, and hardness of heart, and blindness of mind, then shall the great and marvelous things which have been hid up from the foundation of the world from you—yea, when ye shall call upon the Father in my name, with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, then shall ye know that the Father hath remembered the covenant which he made unto your fathers, O house of Israel. And then shall my revelations which I have caused to be written by my servant John be unfolded in the eyes of all the people. Remember, when ye see these things, ye shall know that the time is at hand that they shall be made manifest in very deed. Therefore, when ye shall receive this record ye may know that the work of the Father has commenced upon all the face of the land.

13 Therefore, repent all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me, and believe in my gospel, and be baptized in my name; for he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned; and signs shall follow them that believe in my name. And blessed is he that is found faithful unto my name at the last day, for he shall be lifted up to dwell in the kingdom prepared for him from the foundation of the world. And behold it is I that hath spoken it.

Amen.” (Ether 4:11-19) I have read these things because I am fully aware that there are in the Church of Latter-day Saints many persons who are very careless about reading the “Book of Mormon.” It is one of the greatest treasures, so far as books are concerned, that has been given to mankind for almost 1,800 years. It contains the things of God in great plainness, so easy of comprehension that the child who reads can understand it. And yet, how many there are of the Latter-day Saints who suffer this book to remain upon their shelves, week after week, without ever reading a page of these precious things. I have also read these things for the benefit of strangers who may be present on this occasion. It is not to be expected that they will read it, for they do not believe it is a divine record; they do not believe that God has spoken, or that Joseph Smith was raised up to bring it forth to the children of men, by the power of the Urim and Thummim. (JS—H 1:35) It is not expected, therefore, that they will read a work that they have no faith in. They do not want to have faith in it, they do not consider it a matter of sufficient importance even to inquire of the Lord whether it is true or not. And yet, sometimes they may have, for a few moments, a feeling in their hearts that they would like to know what is contained in the “Book of Mormon;” hence, I have read this that you may have an idea what is contained in this book, on which the Latter-day Saints found their faith, as well as on the Bible. You will perceive, Latter-day Saints, how this Urim and Thummim was formed in the first place. It was not something that existed on the earth in a natural state, it was something made by the Lord. He is a good mechanic; he understands how to make things. He made the heavens and the earth, he made many worlds that we see roll as it were, upon their wings in the midst of space. (D&C 88:45)

He made the garments that first clothed Adam and Eve; (Gen. 3:21) and he made a very beautiful garden, and planted it with a variety of trees, and caused them to bear fruit, (Gen. 2:8-9) and that they should have seed within themselves. (Gen. 1:11-12)

He understands how to do such things; he is not like many of us, who, after attempting to do certain things, fail for the lack of knowledge; but when he undertakes to do a thing, he does it in the best manner possible, and what he makes is made perfect. And if afterwards his handiwork becomes imperfect, it is because of the curse that comes upon the earth in consequence of sin. He made the Urim and Thummim, and we have an account of his making it in the words which I have been reading.

Two crystal stones that he gave unto the brother of Jared were made by him. When ye shall write these things, ye shall seal them up, also the interpreters, until the Lord shall see fit, in his own due time, to reveal them to the children of men.

(Ether 3:27-28) Perhaps some of you may ask when this great revelation, that was given to the brother of Jared, will be revealed. I wish I could answer the question; I cannot answer as to the year, for I do not know. I may, however, answer you in general terms.

14 If you will turn to the “Doctrine and Covenants,” you will there find a revelation, given in the year 1829, to Hyrum Smith, who went down from Manchester, Ontario County, N.Y., to Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, to visit his brother, Joseph, who was then engaged in the work of translating the “Book of Mormon.”

When Hyrum arrived in the presence of his brother, he felt anxious to know what the Lord had for him to do, or if it would not be well for him to commence to preach, bearing testimony to the manuscripts of the “Book of Mormon,” etc.

He finally desired that his brother should inquire of the Lord, through the Urim and Thummim, what he wished him to do.

The Lord gave a revelation, telling him he was not to preach his word at that time, that the time had not come. He had not received the ordination authorizing him to preach, neither had the Church been organized on the earth. The Lord told him, however, of certain things he should do.

(D&C 11:15-21) He said, “Study my word which hath gone forth among the children of men, and also study my word which shall come forth among the children of men, or that which is now translating, yea, until you have obtained all which I shall grant to the children of men in this generation, and then shall all things be added thereunto.” (D&C 11:22) After the generation living in 1829, some fortyeight years ago, is all accomplished, then we may look for the revelation which the brother of Jared obtained upon the mount, then we may look for the things he saw when the Lord showed him all the children of men that had ever been upon the earth from the beginning of creation down to his day, and also that would come upon the earth down to the end of time. (Ether 3:25) In showing him these things, I do not think he merely gave him this to satisfy his curiosity, for no man, we are told, had ever before witnessed such great things, (Ether 3:15) and the Lord could not withhold them from him, (Ether 3:19-20) because of his great faith. (Ether 3:9) I do not believe, either, that this great man would have sought the Lord seeking to satisfy curiosity; but I told you, and I do believe,

that He revealed to him many of his great and marvelous purposes in relation to the inhabitants of the earth in relation to his future dealings with the nations of the earth, in relation to the rise of his kingdom in the latter days, as now taking place. I have no doubt he saw every particular as they have occurred, since 1830 to the present time.

He saw our history and our travels and our persecutions; and he also saw the state of darkness that the world would be in before the Lord would set up this Church upon the earth again, and the persecutions that would come up on the former-day Saints, and how the Church would fall away and the Priesthood be taken away from among men; all these things were manifested to him, and he was commanded to write them.

And if we had these things now which he wrote, I have not the least doubt we could read the future history of this Church, just the same as we can its past history; we could understand all the particulars until the wicked shall be destroyed from the earth, and we could see our future travels and our future tribulations and persecutions, and also our blessings that shall come upon us after the days of tribulations are ended; we could behold the glory of God that would rest upon Zion, and the resurrection of the righteous dead, and the coming of the Church of the Firstborn in the clouds of heaven, (D&C 76:54,63) in connection with Jesus, (Matt. 24:30) and the coming of the ancient day Zion. (Gen. 9:21-23JST) (Moses 7:62-64) All these things, I have no doubt, were revealed to this man of God, and were commanded to be written, and will come forth when the generation has fully passed away that were living in the year 1829 (D&C 11:22) forty-eight years ago.

As regards the number of years by which a generation shall be measured, we have no special definite period given to us by revelation; the Lord speaks in terms that are general in relation to generations. Among the Nephites, immediately after Christ's appearance to them, a generation was a hundred years, (4 Ne. 1:22) and in the fourth generation they were destroyed, as a nation; except some few who went over to the Lamanites.

(Mormon 6:15)

15 We find generations numbering from father to son, and from son to grandson, etc., and when we come to average generations, according to the statistic, of nations, we find them to be about thirty years to a generation; but when the Lord speaks in general terms, and says, This generation shall not pass away, until a House shall be built to his name, as is given in this “Book of Covenants,” and a cloud should rest upon it; (D&C 84:5) in that case I do not think he is limited to any definite period, but suffice it to say that the people living in 1832, when the revelation was given, will not all pass away; there will be some living when the House spoken of will be reared, on which the glory of God will rest.

Already forty-five years have passed away since that revelation was given, concerning the building of that House. And when he says to Hyrum Smith, “Study my word, etc., until you have obtained all which I shall grant unto the children of men in this generation,” (D&C 11:22) I do not know how long that generation was intended, in the mind of God, to be, and I do not think there is any person in the Church that does know, unless the Lord has revealed it to him. But we have every reason to believe that the time is not far distant, and that there are some living among the young now upon the earth, that will live to behold great numbers of revelations given, and will behold other books come forth and other records translated by the Urim and Thummim, that same instrument that Joseph Smith used in the translation of the “Book of Mormon,” which will again come forth and be revealed to the seer and revelator that God will raise up by which these ancient records will be brought to light.

Then these great things will be known, then we shall rejoice in the greater fulness of knowledge and understanding, according to the promise; and when we rend that veil of unbelief, (Ether 4:13-15) spoken of in the “Book of Mormon,” and when it is taken away from our midst, and we exercise faith in God, even as the ancient man of God, the brother of Jared, did, then will the Lord reveal to this people what was shown to this man. (Ether 4:7) And if it were important for him, in the early ages, to understand the great things of the latter days, how much more important it is for us who are living, as it were, just preceding the coming of the Son of Man; and if ancient men of God were privileged and blessed in understanding the things of the future, how much greater blessing it will be to us, inasmuch as these things are at our doors.

“And now, as I, Moroni, said I could not make a full account of these things which are written, therefore it sufficeth me to say that Jesus showed himself unto this man in the spirit, even after the manner and in the same likeness of the same body even as he showed himself unto the Nephites.” (Ether 3:14-17) I believe I will make a few more remarks in relation to this same revelation that is to be given. In the second book of Nephi, the 11th chap., we have some account of what the Lord is going to do, referring to the things which the brother of Jared saw. The prophecy I am about to read was delivered nearly six centuries before Christ, by a man whose name was Nephi, whom the Lord brought out from Jerusalem, in connection with his father's family and some others, landing them on the western coast of South America where they formed a colony. Before he got here, he had a great revelation, and also after coming here. I will commence at the 17th paragraph of the vision he had.

“And it shall come to pass that the Lord God shall bring forth unto you the words of a book, and they shall be the words of them that have slumbered.”

(2 Ne. 27:6)

He was prophesying of the last days, of the time when the Book of Mormon should be brought forth to the inhabitants of the earth.

“And behold the book shall be sealed; and in the book shall be a revelation from God, from the beginning of the world to the ending thereof.” (2 Ne. 27:7) This is the part that is sealed. “Wherefore, because of the things which are sealed up, the things which are sealed shall not be delivered in the day of the wickedness and abomination of the people.” (2 Ne. 27:8) That agrees with what I was telling you about the generation that is passing away. The people who are wicked shall be swept away from the earth, and those who remain that are righteous will have this great revelation unsealed to them. “Wherefore the book shall be kept from them.” (2 Ne. 27:8) The Lord did not suffer these plates to go among the wicked, for he well knew that they would have destroyed them for the sake of the gold upon which they were written.

16 “But the book shall be delivered unto a man, and he shall deliver the words of the book, which are the words of those who have slumbered in the dust, and he shall deliver these words unto another; But the words which are sealed he shall not deliver, neither shall he deliver the book.” (2 Ne. 27:9-10) I wish to state here for the information of those who do not understand, that before Joseph Smith translated the part that was unsealed, he copied some of the words and sent them by Martin Harris to the city of New York to have them exhibited to the learned, to see if they could read them. “For the book shall be sealed by the power of God, and the revelation which was sealed shall be kept in the book until the own due time of the Lord, that they may come forth; for behold, they reveal all things from the foundation of the world unto the end thereof.” (2 Ne. 27:10) We will get some knowledge of the purposes of God, not only in relation to the six thousand years past, but for the thousand years to come, after the revelation is given showing forth the purposes and designs of the great Jehovah in relation to this creation.

“And the day cometh that the words of the book which was sealed shall be read upon the house tops; and they shall be read by the power of Christ; and all things shall be revealed to the children of men which ever have been among the children of men, and which ever will be even unto the end of the earth. Wherefore, at that day when the book shall be delivered unto the man of whom I have spoken, the book shall be hid from the eyes of the world, that the eyes of none shall behold it save it be that three witnesses shall behold it, by the power of God, besides him to whom the book shall be delivered; and they shall testify to the truth of the book and the things therein. And there is none other which shall view it, save it be a few according to the will of God, to bear testimony of his word unto the children of men; for the Lord God hath said that the words of the faithful should speak as if it were from the dead. Wherefore, the Lord God will proceed to bring forth the words of the book; and in the mouth of as many witnesses as seemeth him good will he establish his word; and wo be unto him that rejecteth the word of God!” (2 Ne. 27:11-14)

That gives us a little more light upon the same subject. When that is brought forth, I expect that the same Urim and Thummim which the Lord gave to Joseph Smith will come forth with these plates, and they will be translated, but by whom I know not. Who will be the favored Seer and Revelator that will be raised up among this people to bring this revelation to light, is not revealed to me.

And not only this revelation, but those twenty-four plates of gold which contain the doings of the old Jaredite nation that inhabited this North American continent; at present we have only an abridgment, not a hundredth part of their history. These plates of gold will come forth, as well as many other records kept by the first nation—the Jaredites, that came here; and I have no doubt that the Lord will give the Urim and Thummim to translate them. And not only these, but the Lord intends, in this dispensation in which you and I live, to overwhelm the whole earth with a flood of knowledge in regard to himself; (Isa. 11:9) in regard to his purposes and designs, and in regard to the future glories and blessings that are ordained for the Latter-day Saints, in regard to the preparation of the earth for the thousand years of righteousness to come.

Hence these plates, these great numbers of plates, that were kept by the kings of the Nephites and by many Prophets before and after Christ, as well as those sealed records of which I have been speaking, will all come to light; we then will have revelations of heavenly and earthly things, and the designs and purposes of God. We will have, perhaps, the most complete history of this continent that there is in existence of any other nation or kingdom on the earth. Moreover, we have abundance of promises that God has made to us, in this book called the Doctrine and Covenants, given through the Prophet Joseph, concerning other records besides those I have named, that were kept by the Jaredites and the Nephites, a record for instance back so far as the days of Enoch.

17 When we get this, I think we shall have still more knowledge in regard to doctrine and principle, and things that are great and marvelous, of which we know very little, if anything about. This is not all. The Lord has told us that he would bring forth those brass plates that Lehi and the families that came with him from Jerusalem, some six hundred years before Christ, brought with them, which contain the history of the creation, and the writings of inspired men down to the days of Jeremiah; (1 Ne. 5:10-19) (Alma 37:3-4) they came out in Jeremiah's day.

(D&C 6:26) (D&C 8:11) (D&C 9:2) (D&C 93:6) (D&C 93:18) You might say, they did not know how to write in those days. But the Bible indicates that they did know and speak about the book of the generations of Adam (Gen. 5:1) (Moses 6:5-8) (Moses 6:46) even before the flood. Furthermore, we have an account that three years prior to the death of Adam, he called together the righteous of his posterity, he called also the High Priests of that day, into a certain valley, called Adam-ondi-Ahman, which is located about fifty miles north of Jackson County, or what is now called Davis County, Missouri. Here assembled the righteous of his posterity for eight generations, and he pronounced upon them his last blessing, as the grand patriarch of the whole.

Then there is still another record to come forth.

John the Baptist is said by the highest authority to be one of the greatest Prophets ever born of a woman; (Matt. 11:11) but we have very little written in the Jewish record concerning him. We have a revelation in the Doctrine and Covenants concerning the record of John, that great Prophet. And we are promised that if we were faithful as a people, the fullness of the record of John shall hereafter be revealed to us. (D&C 93:6) (D&C 93:18)

We are informed in the “Book of Mormon” that they contained many prophecies very great and extensive in their nature. And when these plates, now hidden in the hill Cumorah, are brought to light we shall have the history of the Old Testament much more fully, with the addition of a great many prophecies that are not now contained in that record. The prophecies of Joseph in Egypt were very great, (2 Ne. 25:21-22) (3 Ne. 10:17) and we are told in the “Book of Mormon” that there were a great many given to him. (2 Ne. 3:4-24) (2 Ne. 4:1-3) When we have all those, also the prophecies of Neum, a great Prophet who prophesied concerning Christ; (1 Ne. 19:10) also those of Zenos (1 Ne. 19:12,16) (Jacob 5:1-77) (Jacob 6:1) (Alma 33:3-13) and Zenock, (3 Ne. 10:16) (Alma 33:15) (Alma 34:7) and others of which only bare reference is given; (Hel. 8:19-20) (Hel. 15:11) (Ether 7:23-26) and then again when the ten tribes of Israel come from the north country, they will bring with them their records (2 Ne. 29:11-14) (D&C 133:26-30) which they have kept since seven hundred and twenty years before Christ, which will contain an account of the hand dealing of God among that lost people, which doubtless will be exceedingly interesting as well as instructive.

It is time for the long night of darkness to make its close in your life. Your heart is longing for a new horizon to rise up and shine forth out of your bosom, radiating your light with energetic power.

Your heart calls you to a higher sphere of living.

18 Shall we stop here? No, the time will come when this people will become more fully revelators, and Prophets, and Seers themselves, (Num. 11:29) (Joel 2:28) and the earth will be filled with the knowledge of God, (Isa. 11:9) and even out of the mouth of babes and sucklings (Ps. 8:2) (Matt.

21:16) will the Spirit of God reveal things that have been kept secret from the foundation of the world; (Matt. 13:35) (D&C 128:18) they will utter forth the things of God, helping to fill the earth with the knowledge of God, as the waters cover the great deep. (Isa. 11:9) We might now stop and say no more about the bibles that are yet to come. (2 Ne. 29:2-14) From what little I have said, the strangers present may begin to believe the truth of that Scripture which says, “And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written.” (John 21:25) The Lord has not, because of unbelief and wickedness of the people, (Ether 4:15) permitted these things to come forth to be trampled under the feet, as swine would trample jewels under their feet. (Matt. 7:6)

But as soon as the righteousness of the people shall warrant, he will reveal these hidden treasures of knowledge, (D&C 89:19) and they will understand and comprehend the great things of God; and not only will records be brought forth, but the minds of men, and minds of women, and minds of children, and the minds of all the people who believe, will be like a fountain of light and intelligence, and they will be able to comprehend all records and books inspired from on high.

Sometimes, when I reflect upon these things in the spirit, it seems as though I can scarcely wait for the present generation to pass away, without seeing the Latter-day Saints in possession of these great things. (D&C 11:22) They will surely come! Rest assured, Latter-day Saints, that these things will be fulfilled, yea, every jot and tittle; (Matt. 5:18) and every record that God has commanded to be kept among the ancient seers and revelators, will be brought to light in this last dispensation, and none need think that the Lord is trifling with us, for these things will be made manifest.

May God bless you is my prayer, in the name of Jesus. Amen

PEACE, BE STILL 19

October 9, 2023

The weary Child of God sits against the stone wall.

There is a suffering within the tender heart that is nearly unbearable.

People passing by, slightly making a gaze, yet moving on.

A man so kind and dear, speaks softly.

My precious child...

The weary Child of God looks up and meets his gaze.

Tender, yet piercing are the eyes that gently meet his weary gaze.

Emotions Arise Tears flow like a river from his eyes.

The hand that reaches down beckons to offer relief.

The weary child takes the Masters hand and is lifted up.

by David Holmquist

Life is full of weary hearts struggling to make it through each day. Sadness fills the air with hearts that are broken. Is it possible to feel peace, joy and happiness in an evergrowing broken world?

What does it hurt to extend the kindness of your hand and heart to someone who is struggling?

The beauty of such kind gestures lifts and comfort the saddened and broken heart.

Imagine the affect that each one of us could have on another precious soul out there, when we choose to be an anchor in their storm. Something that they can cling to, that keeps them from sinking into utter despair.

BE LIKE JESUS The words that rise from your tender heart utter the truth that you are indeed trying to be like Jesus.

You know what it feels like to be loved.

You know what it feels like to have kindness rendered to you.

You know what it feels like to have tear filled eyes dried from the acts rendered by someone who extends their serviceable hand to you.

So many of Gods children are weary on bended knee, Pleading for His help.

Pleading for relief.

Pleading for peace to fill their troubled hearts.

God is sending you, through daily gentle nudges, in directions that will lead you to one of His precious children, praying for His strength. He has called you and me to help our brothers and sisters in need.

JESUS LOVES YOU 20

October 9, 2023

There is something that happens in our hearts and souls that causes a peaceable stirring within, when we look at a picture of the Savior.

I especially love the pictures where a child is sitting on the Saviors lap, or where children are gathered all around Him. It assures us me that He does truly love each of us.

God’s love is eternal.

As He blesses us and teaches us, we feel of His love. We feel of His love because we see the tears on His face. That impression no doubt, causes me to weep. My heart swells with peace in knowing that His love is true. The Spirit of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, affirms this truth to me, and my heart and soul yearns to have him hold me close.

by David Holmquist

A little child is innocent and precious. Their souls are pure. Between the ages of birth and 8 years old, their time on this earth is fresh and new. The way that they are treated in these years of their life determine the way that they experience life.

Do you know and realize how precious a child is?

It has taken me 43 years to truly understand the magnificence of a child. To truly understand how precious of a gift that a child is to a parent. How important it is, for each parent to love their children unconditionally. Children have tender hearts and tender souls. In their early years their hearts and souls are not hardened to life as ours most often become.

I WEEP!

I weep when someone is bullied or mistreated by another.

I weep when one chooses to gossip and speak unkindly towards another.

I weep when I ponder the imperfections of myself and the pain and sorrow that I have caused towards others close to me.

I weep as I consider the true love of God. I weep because I know that there are some, who are close to me who are suffering.

Photo Credit by Maria Oswalt

As a little girl approaches the Savior, His smile radiates beyond description. Those surrounding this precious little girl are reverenced upon this spiritual moment.

The Savior, lovingly and tenderly crouches down to the level of this little girl and with eternal love in his eyes, and a smile that touches the inner depths of the soul, these are the words that spring forth from his mouth; “My Little One!” Tears fill this little girls eyes and she covers her face.

Photo Credit by Josh Eckstein

BLESSINGS IN STORE 21

May 18, 1884

Since we assembled in this place we have had a very interesting time. It has been our desire that all who could be properly recommended by their Bishops should have an opportunity to visit the Temple, whether it be the residents of this Stake, and the Stakes of this Temple district, or the residents of other Stakes, because we have felt that it is due to those who have assisted so liberally in building the Temple in this place, that they should have a full and fair opportunity of seeing it. For that purpose, we have already had two dedication services, and we intend to have another in the Temple, commencing at half-past ten o'clock tomorrow morning, tickets for which can be obtained from President Geo. Q. Cannon, at the close of this meeting.

We are living in a very important day and age of the world, in a time which is pregnant with greater events than any other period that we know of, or any other dispensation that has existed upon the earth. It is called “the dispensation of the fulness of times,” when God “will gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth;” (Eph. 1:10) for the heavens, the Gods in the eternal worlds, the Holy Priesthood that have existed upon the earth, the living that live upon the face of the earth, and the dead that have departed this life, are all interested in the work in which we are engaged.

by Elder John Taylor

Consequently, it is of the greatest importance that everything we do, that every ordinance we administer, that every principle we believe in, should be strictly in accordance with the mind and word, the will and law of God. I have heard some remarks in the Temple pertaining to these matters, and also here, and it has been thought, as has been expressed by some, that we ought to look for some peculiar manifestations. The question is, what do we want to see? Some peculiar power, some remarkable manifestations? All these things are very proper in their place; all these things we have a right to look for; but we must only look for such manifestations as are requisite for our circumstances, and as God shall see fit to impart them. Certain manifestations have already occurred. When our Heavenly Father appeared unto Joseph Smith, the Prophet, He pointed to the Savior who was with him (and who, it is said, is the brightness of the Father's glory and the express image of His person), (Heb. 1:3) and said: “This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!” (JS—H 1:17) So that there was an evidence manifested through His servant to the world, that God lived, that the Redeemer, who was crucified and put to death to atone for the sins of the world, also lived, and that there was a message which had to be communicated to the human family, and that the Son was the personage through which it should be communicated.

Photo Credit Pau Patterson Photography

Photo Credit - Bruno Delfino

22 The key thus being turned, authority given by the highest source in the heavens in relation to the purposes of God on the earth, the Holy Priesthood began to be developed. Why? Because there was no Priesthood on the earth; there was nobody who was authorized to operate and officiate in the name of the Lord, therefore John the Baptist came as the representative of the Aaronic Priesthood, (D&C 27:8) having held the keys thereof in his day; and he placed his hands upon the heads of Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, and said: “Upon you my fellow servants, in the name of Messiah I confer the Priesthood of Aaron, which holds the keys of the ministering of angels, and of the gospel of repentance, and of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; and this shall never be taken again from the earth, until the sons of Levi do offer again an offering unto the Lord in righteousness.”

John the Baptist having thus come and imparted the Aaronic Priesthood, which like the Melchizedek Priesthood is an eternal Priesthood (D&C 13:1) (JSH 1:68-72) it being already conferred it is not now necessary that John the Baptist should return for the accomplishment of that purpose. He had delivered his testimony, he had turned the key, he had introduced the power and authority to administration in that Priesthood, so that those upon whom it was conferred were able to perform the several duties associated therewith.

Then Peter, James and John appeared and conferred upon Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery the Melchizedek Priesthood, (D&C 27:12) which, as you all know, differs from that of the Aaronic. The Melchizedek Priesthood, according to the Scriptures, is after the order of the Son of God, (D&C 107:2-3) and after the power of an endless life. (John 1:18-JST) (Heb. 7:16) It places men in communication with God our Heavenly Father, whereby through its influence, ordinances, powers and blessings, they can approach the presence of God, the Eternal Father, and come, as it was said by one of old, “To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.” (Heb. 12:23-24)

It is that Priesthood through the Gospel, that brings life and immortality to light, (2 Tim. 1:10) that places man in a position whereby he can obtain, through faithfulness and adherence to the laws of God, all the rich blessings associated with the eternal worlds, of which we are allowed to partake while we dwell here upon the earth, or hereafter in the heavens.

It is not necessary that Peter, James and John should come again to do the thing that is already done. The Priesthood has been restored, with which is connected all the blessings that ever were associated with any people upon the face of the earth; and if we know today so little in regard to the things of God, and the principles associated with eternity, with the heavens and with the angels, it is because we have not improved our privileges as we might, nor lived up to those principles which God has revealed unto us, and because we are not yet prepared for further advancement.

Jesus in His day, said to His disciples: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. (John 14:27) * * * * Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. I will come again and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” (John 14:1-3) What did He mean?

Just what he said, precisely. If He went away, He would send them another Comforter, the Spirit of truth, which should abide with them forever, (John 14:16-17) and teach them all things and bring all things pertaining to the past to their remembrance; (John 14:26) the Comforter was also to lead them into all truth and show them things to come. (John 16:13)

This same Comforter has been given, in connection with the Gospel in these days, for our enlightenment, for our instruction, for our guidance, that we may have a knowledge of things that are past, of the dealings of God with the human family, of the principles of truth that have been developed in the different ages, of the position of the world and its relationship to God in those different ages, of its position in years that are past and gone, and of its present status.

23 It is also given for our enlightenment, that we may be enabled to conduct all things according to the mind and will of God, and in accordance with His eternal laws and those principles which exist in the heavens, and which have been provided by God for the salvation and exaltation of a fallen world; also for the manifestation of principles which have been and will be developed in the interest of man, not only pertaining to this world, but also to that which is to come; through which medium the Lord will make known His plans and designs to His Priesthood and His people in His own due time.

After these things had been introduced, the people in Kirtland, Ohio, by the command of God, through Joseph Smith, the Prophet, some 49 years ago (without being particular as to dates), commenced to build a house unto the Lord wherein certain preliminary ordinances were introduced, and that house was built under very trying circumstances to the Saints, but they accomplished it. Most of the Saints then devoted all the time they could possibly spare for the accomplishment of that object; it was not in little donations, but they had to exert their undivided energies and means to its accomplishment.

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When they had finished it, it was dedicated to the Lord, God accepted their sacrifice, and Jesus appeared in that Temple, of which appearance you will find a description in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants (Section 110). (D&C 110:1-10)

Before this they had had the Aaronic and the Melchizedek Priesthoods presented to them, and Moroni, (JSH 1:33) and other personages had appeared unto Joseph Smith. When this Temple was erected for preparatory ordinances—for it was not like the Temples we now have, nor like the Temple that was in Nauvoo, the Lord appeared, (D&C 110:1-10) and then Moses appeared. (D&C 110:11) They had already the keys of the Aaronic Priesthood, and of the Melchizedek; and as Moses had held the keys and authority of the gathering of the children of Israel, from the land of Egypt, in a former dispensation, so he was now sent to confer these said keys upon Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery. It is said, that after this vision closed— that is the vision of the Savior manifested to Joseph and Oliver in the Kirtland Temple—that: “The heavens were again opened unto us; and Moses appeared before us and committed unto us the keys of the gathering of Israel from the four parts of the earth, and the leading of the ten tribes from the land of the north.” (D&C 110:11) Here then were the keys committed associated with the gathering. Why is it that you are here today? And what brought you here? Because the keys of the gathering of Israel from the four quarters of the earth have been committed to Joseph Smith, and he has conferred those keys upon others that the gathering of Israel may be accomplished, and in due time the same thing will be performed to the tribes in the land of the north.

It is on this account, and through the unlocking of this principle, and through those means, that you are brought together as you are today. I have heretofore mentioned a circumstance, and I will mention it again here, as there are so many present to show you how those things operate.

What I refer to is this: Soon after we were driven from Missouri, the Twelve were sent to England.

There was no place then for the Saints to gather to; the Prophet therefore said to the Twelve: “When you go to England, until you get further information, do not say anything about the gathering.”

Consequently, we did not; but we could not keep the spirit of it from the people. Why? Because we had the Gospel, and the Gospel brings life and immortality to light, (2 Tim. 1:10) and those that receive the Gospel receive the Holy Ghost, and a knowledge of the things associated with the Gospel.

24 And hence I remember a sister coming to me in Liverpool, England, where I had raised up a church, and says she, “Brother Taylor, I had a very remarkable dream or vision, I don't know which, and it was something like this: I thought that the Saints were gathered together on the Pier Head [that is the place where the vessels then used to sail from], and there was a ship about to sail. The people said they were going to Zion, and they were singing what they called the songs of Zion, and rejoicing exceedingly; you were among them, and you were going also. Now I want to know if you can tell me what it means.” “Yes,” said I, “I know what it means, and I will tell you when the time comes”—just the same as I have to say today that there are many things that I know of which I can only tell you when the time comes.

By and by, Joseph Smith sent word that the Saints were to gather to Nauvoo; that they had a gathering place there, and the Saints were to be directed to that land. I then went and told this sister the interpretation of her dream or vision. I mention this to show that you cannot prevent these manifestations: they are associated with the Gospel.

If men and women receive the Spirit of God and the gift of the Holy Ghost, it reveals those things unto them. It was said by one of old, that through its influence, “your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams;” (Joel 2:28) and although Joseph had told us not to say anything about the gathering, yet he could not prevent the Lord from revealing it to the people.

He did reveal it, and a great many, as well as the sister referred to, had a knowledge of it.

That is the principle which brought you here. If that key had not been turned; if Moses had not come to introduce it, (D&C 110:11) you would not have been here, and Joseph Smith would not have known anything about it, nor anybody else until God revealed it in His own appointed way.

But as I stated before, the Father said, “This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!” (JS—H 1:17) He manipulates the Priesthood in the heavens and on the earth. He manages the affairs associated with the redemption of the human family. “Hear Him!” (JS—H 1:17) And when He was prepared to send forth these messengers, as we send forth messengers to accomplish certain purposes—when He saw that the time had come, He said, “Go Moses, and attend to this matter.

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They have built a Temple; from now they will begin to gather the Saints, and it is necessary that they should have proper instructions and information relating to these matters.” And Moses came. (D&C 110:11) Now, that was one thing. Then we read that: “After this, Elias appeared, and committed the dispensation of the gospel of Abraham, saying that in us and our seed all generations after us should be blessed.” (D&C 110:12) That was the promise made to Abraham some 3,500 years ago. It was not a promise made to Abraham alone, (Gen. 18:18) (Gen. 22:18) but through him to others. (D&C 132:30-32)

He and his seed were to be the instrumentality, the media through which mankind should be blessed; they were to be the special instruments in the hands of God for the accomplishment of these purposes. Hence the Priesthood began to be organized—the Bishopric and all pertaining to the Aaronic Priesthood including Priests, Teachers and Deacons; and associated with the Melchizedek Priesthood, the First Presidency, the Twelve, the High Council, High Priests, Seventies and Elders, and all those occupying their own particular place; and hence in that small Temple, as we should now call it, that was erected in Kirtland, they had the same organization of the Priesthood, and the same arrangements of the stands for the seating of the Priesthood as we have here.

25 Why? Because the Priesthood had been introduced after the order of Aaron, and after the order of Melchizedek, which is after the order of the Son of God, (D&C 107:2-3) and after the power of an endless life, (John 1:18JST) (Heb. 7:16) and that officiates and operates in time and in eternity, and by which Priesthood and through which authority the worlds were framed by the power of God. Things as they existed in the heavens again began to be introduced upon the earth. Hence, that His servants might be properly instructed and comprehend correctly the great principles which He designed to unfold to the human family, He sent those several messengers holding those various keys that they might unlock the doors and place His servants in communication with the heavenly Priesthood in the eternal worlds.

Do you want anything more than this, you Latter-day Saints? This was the position in which they were placed, and the position in which we find ourselves today.

Then we are told that another personage appeared, as stated: “After this vision had closed, another great and glorious vision burst upon us; for Elijah the prophet, who was taken to heaven without tasting death, stood before us, and said: “Behold, the time has fully come, which was spoken of by the mouth of Malachi—testifying that he [Elijah] should be sent, before the great and dreadful day of the Lord come— “To turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the children to the fathers, lest the whole earth be smitten with a curse— “Therefore, the keys of this dispensation are committed into your hands; and by this ye may know that the great and dreadful day of the Lord is near, even at the doors.” (D&C 110:13-16)

What means this? What means this Temple that you have built here on the hill? Why have you built it? Why have you expressed such anxiety in the erection of that Temple? Why have such crowds of our brethren and sisters from distant places come here to the dedication of this Temple? Why is it? It is because those keys were turned, of which I have just read in your hearing.

“Behold, the time has fully come * * * To turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the children to the fathers, lest the whole earth be smitten with a curse—

“Therefore, the keys of this dispensation are committed into your hands; and by this ye may know that the great and dreadful day of the Lord is near, even at the doors.” (D&C 110:14-16) What does this mean? It means that there was a great and comprehensive plan designed by the Almighty in his economy connected with the salvation of the human family who are His children; for He is the God and the Father of the spirits of all flesh. (Num. 16:22) (Num. 27:16) It means that He is interested in their welfare, in their prosperity, in their happiness, and in all that pertains to their exaltation in time and throughout the eternities that are to come. Being thus interested, and so little of the Gospel having been revealed in the different ages, and so much of the power of darkness and iniquity having prevailed among men, it was necessary that something should be done for the dead as well as the living.

God is interested in the dead as well as the living.

Adam, who is the Ancient of Days (D&C 116:1) and the father of the human family; (D&C 27:11) (D&C 138:38) Seth, Enos, Enoch, Mahalaleel, Methuselah, Noah, and all the prominent leading men of God, as well as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, the Prophets, Jesus and His Apostles, together with the Prophets and Apostles who lived on this continent, and who stood at the various times or epochs as the representatives of the nations, and as thousands of these peoples have passed away having held and now holding the Priesthood; all these ancient fathers feel interested in this great work, and their hearts are turned toward the children, being interested in their welfare, happiness and exaltation; and their children who now have received the Gospel have their hearts, through this instrumentality, and the keys and principles which were introduced by Elijah, turned towards the fathers through the inspiration of the same Gospel, which Gospel as spoken of in the Scriptures, is an everlasting Gospel, (Rev. 14:6) (D&C 27:5) being associated with the everlasting covenant, (D&C 66:2) (D&C 101:39) (D&C 133:57) which principle wherever it has existed, brought life and immortality to light. (2 Tim. 1:10) When Jesus came, He came to do a work in many particulars similar to that in which we are engaged, and when He got through with His work here, He stood as the Savior of the world, and of the human family.

26 He came to preach the Gospel to the poor, (Luke 4:18) (Luke 7:22) to open the prison doors to those that were imprisoned, to set at liberty, and to proclaim the acceptable hour of the Lord, (Isa. 61:1-2) (Luke 4:18-19) etc. This was a work connected with the people who lived at the time of the flood and were destroyed and kept in prison until the Lord should see proper to extend manifestations of His mercy to them. Hence, as we read, “Christ hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: By which also he went and preached to the spirits in prison, which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah.” (1 Pet. 3:18-20) He, having finished His work upon earth for the living, went and performed a work for the dead; as we are informed, “He went and preached to spirits in prison; that had sometime been disobedient in the days of Noah.” (1 Pet. 3:19-20) It is reserved for us to do a work for those who have passed away, who have not obeyed or had the Gospel in their lifetime. We are here to do a work connected with the redemption of the dead. When the Temple was commanded to be built in Nauvoo, after the Temple had been built in Kirtland, and after so many keys had been turned, and after so many manifestations, visions and ministrations had been had, yet it was said then that there was not a place upon the earth in which to perform the ordinance of baptism for the dead, and Joseph was commanded to build a house for that purpose. (D&C 124:26-55)

But who knew anything about these things until God revealed them? Nobody. Men talk and boast of their intelligence and their knowledge—why, there is not a man breathing on the earth, outside of this Church, who has any knowledge of those things to which I have referred, and nobody in this Church either, only as God has revealed it.

We are all of us indebted to the revelations of God, through the medium of the Holy Priesthood, for these things. Joseph Smith, before his death, was much exercised about the completion of the Temple in Nauvoo, and the administering of ordinances therein.

In his anxiety and for fear he should not live to see the Temple completed, he prepared a place over what was known as the brick store—which many of you who lived in Nauvoo will recollect— where to a chosen few he administered those ordinances that we now have today associated with endowments, so that if anything should happen to him—which he evidently contemplated—he would feel that he had then fulfilled his mission, that he had conferred upon others all the keys given to him by the manifestations of the power of God.

At first these things were only partially made known to him, and as they were partially developed, he called upon the Twelve that were then living—many of you grey-headed people will remember it—to commence and be baptized for the dead, and they were baptized in the Mississippi River. Immediately after these baptisms, the Prophet had a revelation which more clearly developed the order in relation to such baptisms. According to that revelation it appeared that, notwithstanding all the visions, revelations, keys, etc., that had heretofore been given, there was not a place, not even in the Kirtland Temple, wherein those things could be carried out, (D&C 124:28-36) and hence a font, such as we have in this Temple, was built in the temple at Nauvoo, and it was there, under proper circumstances and proper administration, and according to the principles that he had laid down, that those ordinances were administered then, and are administered now. (D&C 128:1-25)

I now come to another subject that opens a wide and expansive field, broad as the world in which we live, and expansive as the universe, and which affects all the inhabitants of the earth living or dead. Why is it that there is such a feeling, as I have said, concerning your Temple and other Temples? It is because those keys have been turned, and you have received, like the woman I spake of, a knowledge of the gathering dispensation. You have laid out a great amount of means, done a large amount of labor, and you have built a house that is creditable to you, and which God will sanction and approve and does sanction and approve. You have made it very nice, pleasant and beautiful. We ought to build Temples to the Lord, for we are His offspring, and He is our Father, (Acts 17:28-29) and He has revealed unto us those things and implanted those principles in our bosoms.

27 They are developed within us, and this Temple is a proof of it, just the same as we are a living proof of the gathering dispensation. We have received the gift of the Holy Ghost, and a knowledge, so far as we have progressed, of the things of God. You have been baptized, you have had hands laid upon you for the reception of the Holy Ghost, and you that have lived your religion have received this Holy Ghost, and I want, as an evidence before God and this people—I want to see how many of you can bear testimony to that.

All who can, hold up their right hands.

[A perfect forest of hands was held up.] We know, by the power of the Holy Ghost, and by obedience to His law, so far as we have obeyed it, that God lives. But then, we have been poor, weak, erring creatures, surrounded by infirmities.

Yet God has conferred upon us great, inestimable and eternal treasures, even the gift of eternal lives, (D&C 132:24) and upon many of us are conferred these promises of thrones, principalities, powers and dominion (D&C 132:19) in the eternal worlds. (D&C 132:55) God has conferred those rich and precious treasures upon us, but we have them in earthen vessels. (2 Cor. 4:7) We have to wrestle against flesh and blood, against the powers of darkness, (D&C 38:11) the Adversary, who rules in the hearts of the children of disobedience, (Eph. 2:2) and leads them captive at his will, (2 Tim. 2:26) (Moses 4:4) and against the power of wickedness in high places.

(Eph. 6:12)

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28 We have not all of us learned to submit our will to the law and word of God, yet God is introducing Temples and ordinances and blessings, and light, revelations and intelligence, to lift us up, to exalt us, that we may be a city set upon a hill that cannot be hid; (Matt. 5:14) that we may progress from intelligence to intelligence, (D&C 88:40) from knowledge to knowledge, until we shall see as we are seen and know as we are known. (D&C 76:94)

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We are living, as I have said, in an important day and age of the world. We have gathered to this land because God has decreed it. He has reserved us for the latter days, that we may perform that work which He decreed from before the foundation of the world. If there have been any blessings enjoyed by men in former dispensations of the world, they will also be given to you, ye Latter-day Saints, if you will live your religion and be obedient to the laws of God. There is nothing hidden but what shall be revealed, (Matt. 10:26) (Luke 8:17) (Luke 12:2) says the Lord. He is prepared to unfold all things; (D&C 76:7) all things pertaining to the heavens and the earth, all things pertaining to the peoples who have existed, who now exist or will exist, (D&C 101:32-34) that we may be instructed and taught in every principle of intelligence associated with the world in which we live, or with the Gods in the eternal worlds.

Having said so much on some of these subjects, let me now talk a little upon some other things.

We have finished our Temple. What is it for? Not a building to look at; not a house to brag about; for before we get through we shall have built some Temples so much better, that you will not feel to boast about this Temple. The Temple that the people built in Kirtland, was only a small building compared with this one, and they were a very small and poor people who built it, yet it was built in accordance with the commands of God. In Nauvoo, also, the people were very poor.

They had just been driven from the land of Missouri, yet they were commanded of God to build it. What was obtained in these Temples? In the Kirtland Temple Jesus appeared, and Moses, Elias and Elijah appeared also, (D&C 110:1-16) and all these things that I have read to you and spoken about, transpired on that occasion.

Communication was opened between the heavens and the earth, between the Priesthood in the heavens and the Priesthood on the earth, and the Keys of that Priesthood imparted to Joseph and others on the earth. It was left to those in this world to keep open those communications, to see that the road was clear, and that there was no barrier interposed between earth and the heavens, and to lead forward and progress in other principles yet to be developed; we operating, in our part here in their behalf, and in behalf of their children who are our fathers; while they, in their exalted position, are operating for them and us in the heavens; thus forming a connecting link between the Priesthood on the earth and the Priesthood in the heavens.

We have now finished this Temple, and some people inquire, what is it for? For many things: that our sealings and ordinances may be performed in a manner that will be acceptable before God and the holy angels; that whatsoever is bound on the earth according to the laws of the eternal Priesthood shall be bound in the heavens; (Matt. 16:19) (Matt. 18:18) (D&C 128:8-10) (D&C 132:46) that there may be a connecting link between the living and the dead, between those who have lived, all those ancient fathers of which I have spoken who are interested in the welfare of their posterity; (D&C 128:18)

29 that there may be a royal Priesthood, (1 Pet. 2:9) a holy people, a pure people, a virtuous people on the earth to officiate and operate in the interests of the living and the dead; not looking so much after themselves, but after God, after the work of God, and after the accomplishment of those things which God has designed to be carried out in “the dispensation of the fulness of times” when all things are to be united in one, (Eph. 1:10) and that they may be prepared to operate with the Priesthood in the heavens in the redemption of the inhabitants of this world from the days of Adam unto the present time.

Some men who have been ordained to the Priesthood have remarked that they have nothing to do. I have heard some foolish remarks of that kind. They will find plenty to do before they get through. They need not be troubled on that score. There will be plenty for them to do if they are only prepared to do it. There is a great work to perform in preaching the Gospel to the nations of the earth. Then as we build our Temples, we shall want a great many people to administer in them, and I have seen some people quite pleased at the idea.

It is also intended to introduce the higher branches of education—literary, scientific, linguistic, philosophical and theological; for we are told to obtain a knowledge of laws, (D&C 93:53) languages, (D&C 90:15) governments, (D&C 88:79) justice, equity, rule, authority, dominion, and all those great cosmopolitan principles exhibited in the laws of nature and among the peoples, by the wisdom, prescience, power and intelligence of “nature's God.” That we may thus be acquainted with earthly and heavenly things, in accordance with everlasting laws that have existed in the heavens and on the earth from the beginning; and that all those great and eternal principles by which the worlds are governed may be comprehended by us.

This is a great work. Well might it be said to Joseph Smith, “You are laying the foundation of a great work” (D&C 64:33) so vast that very few can begin to comprehend it. We read sometimes about the millennium. But what do we know about it? It is a time when this work will be going on, and Temples, thousands of them, will be reared for the accomplishment of the objects designed, in which communications from the heavens will be received in regard to our labors, how we may perform them, and for whom. This is the work devolving upon us. We have to build up here a Zion unto God. Who are Zion? The pure in heart, (D&C 97:21) and the pure in life. And be it remembered that it is not everyone that saith, “Lord, Lord,” that shall enter the Kingdom of heaven, but it is he that doeth the will of the Father who is in heaven. (Matt. 7:21) We must be faithful to our calling, for there is a great work for all of us to perform.

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Some Elders, Seventies, and High Priests have said—“What can I do? I am getting old and greyheaded. Still I would like to do something.”

We shall require quite a number to administer in the Temples as we get them built. I am informed there are over forty persons employed in the Temple in St. George, about the same number, I presume, will be required in the Temple here, and then forty in the one at Manti, forty or more in the one at Salt Lake, and then forty in each of the others we are going to build. Hence, we shall find places for some of you folks after a while.

30 You need not be concerned about having nothing to do. We will find plenty for the Seventies to do. You need not think there are any too many of them. The nations of the earth have yet to be preached to. The work is not all through. It is hardly begun. We are just getting ready for the labor, and so you may prepare yourselves, you Seventies, you High Priests, and you Elders, for missions to the nations of the earth. [Here President Taylor inquired of Bishop Preston how they were progressing with the missionary farms, and was answered that they were progressing satisfactorily.] We don't want the aged and infirm to go out to the world. For that labor it requires strong, able-bodied men, men that are able to cope with the world, the flesh and the devil, as they say.

We want men who are full of vigor, life and vitality. We want men to cleave unto God, (Josh.

23:8) (Jacob 6:5) and seek for more of His Spirit, that they may go to the nations of the earth to proclaim the glad tidings of salvation to a fallen world. That is what we are gathered together for, that we may be instructed in the laws of life, and then go and teach these laws to others. Our Elders go out to preach the Gospel without purse or scrip, (Luke 22:35) and when they return, we help them back. But we should see when they are gone that their families are taken care of, and everything made pleasant and comfortable for them. This is quite a little thing that some of you can turn your hands to.

You can assist on the missionary farms, and in this way help to take care of the families of those who are absent on missions. This is a principle we want to see extended all over the land of Zion.

How are you going to be paid for this? You will just get the same pay which I used to have when I went out to preach; you will have just the same source to go to, only you will have a little more time, I expect, than some of us had. We used to go without purse or scrip. (Luke 22:35) (D&C 24:18) We went along trusting in God. We are now in a different position, perhaps, and can put a few dollars into the bag to help us along; but I will tell you when I was away, I would rather trust in the living God than in any other power on earth, for I learned that I could go to God and He always relieved me. He always supplied my wants. I always had plenty to eat, drink and wear, and could ride on steamboats or railroads, or anywhere I thought proper:

God always opened my way, and so He will that of every man who will put his trust in Him. I would rather have God for my friend than all other influences and powers outside; for in God we live, in God we move, and from God we derive our being and our existence. (Acts 17:28) Then what about the payment of those men who are to be employed in Temples? There are three or four men that will have to be provided for, and others will have to take care of themselves, find their own bread and dinner, and think it a privilege to work for God, for the interests of His Kingdom, and to act as saviors upon Mount Zion.

(Obad. 1:21) Supposing there are forty required to labor in this Temple. Many of you are pretty well off. You have got fat, and have almost kicked, some of you (laughter). Some of you have got more means than you know what to do with, and it is a bother to you.

We will have to fix upon the number of men and women—for the sisters will be required as well as the brethren—that will be needed. These can go along, leaving their farms and their merchandising, or whatever they may have in hand, and go into the Temple of the Lord, on a mission for six months, or twelve months, or two or three years as the case may be, the same as others who go out into the world. If I today were not engaged as I am I should say, “Won't you be kind enough to give me and one of my wives, or more, as the case might be, an opportunity to officiate in the Temple?” and I should feel it an honor to be privileged to work in the house of God. Would you want pay for it? No, I would bring my own bread and dinner, and I have no doubt there are many of you who would like to do the same. I guess we could pick out the forty people thus required right in this house today, without any trouble.

All you who are in favor of carrying out this idea hold up your right hands. (All hands went up.) I knew there were more than forty right here (laughter). As to the three or four whose whole time will be engaged in this labor, these will have to be provided for. In this way we shall become saviors upon Mount Zion. (Obad. 1:21) It is written in the Scriptures, that “saviors shall come up on mount Zion * * and the kingdom shall be the Lord's.” (Obad. 1:21) Now, a man is not a savior, nor a woman either, unless they save somebody.

Well, we want men and women who are ready to officiate in this place.

31 And when you get there, surrounded by the heavenly influence of the house of God, the gift of the Holy Ghost will rest upon you, which will bring joy and consolation to your hearts. When you have labored there for a while, you will desire to labor there again. You will carry this heavenly influence among your friends and throughout your neighborhood, and this we want to extend throughout all the land of Zion. We shall have, I presume, regular Temple organizations.

Something of this kind may be organized among the High Priests who will look after the Temple districts. In this way we will find something for the High Priests to do. Some of them have been very much afraid that there would be nothing for them to do.

And thus, we will go on, and God will assist us in the work in which we are engaged. He will yet make us the richest of all people. (D&C 38:39) He will pour wealth into our laps, inasmuch as we keep His commandments. And what else is said?

“Sons of strangers shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee.” (Isa. 60:10) Men shall call you the ministers of our God. (Isa. 61:6) And we want to minister for God in time and throughout the eternities that are to come. We have started in, and we will try by the help of God and the light of His Holy Spirit, and the revelations that he will give to us from time to time—we will try and operate and cooperate with the Priesthood in the eternal worlds, either on this earth or in the heavens. We shall operate until the work that God has designed pertaining to this earth shall be accomplished, and the living, and the dead saved so far as they are capable of being saved according to eternal laws that exist in the heavens, and according to the decrees of the Almighty.

Don't you think we have something to do? I remember when I was first called to the Apostleship some 46 years ago. I looked at the calling square in the face, and said, “Well, this is a life work: this is an operation that will last a lifetime.” I have got other ideas since then, namely, that when I get through in this world I expect to officiate in the other. Hence it is an eternal operation, and that is the difference between what I then thought and what I now think.

God has revealed unto us great and glorious truths, and He is prepared to reveal more if we will only place ourselves under His guidance and His direction. Let us seek to follow the principle that Jesus inculcated—to do the will of our Father who is in heaven, who said, “I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.” (John 5:30) (John 6:38) We are here as much as He was here, and under obligations as He was to do the will of our Heavenly Father. We should subject ourselves to the law of God, the word of God, and the will of God. I say continually, “O God, lead me in the right path: O God, preserve me from all error; O God, I am a poor, feeble, weak, erring human creature, surrounded with infirmities. I need Thy help all the day long. O God, help me.” That is my feeling, and the feeling of my brethren of the First Presidency, and of the Twelve and others.

We feel that we need the help of the Almighty. We will try and be humble and be faithful and true to our covenants. And if we listen to counsel, and obey the laws of God, and do the things that He requires at our hands, He will help us and bless us, and He will bless Zion and preserve Israel, and woe to them that fight against Zion, (Isa. 29:8) for God will fight against them. (1 Ne. 22:19) But He will preserve us if we are faithful and true to our integrity. We will be blessed in time; we will be brought nearer to the heavens. The light of revelation will burst upon our heads, and the glories of the eternal worlds will be made manifest.

We will rejoice together in the fullness of blessings of the Gospel of peace, and by and by we will be crowned with glory, honor, immortality and eternal life (Rom. 2:7) (D&C 75:5) (D&C 128:12,23) in the celestial kingdom of our God. God bless you and lead you in the paths of life, (Ps. 16:11) in the name of Jesus. Amen.

ETERNAL IMPORTANCE 32

October 1948

I wonder sometimes if as fathers we take pains to explain to our boys the seriousness of the obligation assumed when a boy becomes a deacon. I wonder if when the boy is ordained a deacon the father lets him feel that he has something now that is eternally important.

CONTRASTING WARD SITUATIONS I remember hearing upon one occasion of two wards, side by side, with about an equal population. One of the bishops made it a point to visit the homes of the members of his flock when a child was born, and when the time came for it to be blessed in the fast meeting he was on hand to encourage the parents that their child might receive a blessing. As the children grew a little older he taught both the girls and the boys that there would be a blessing come to them if they would go to Primary and to Sunday School.

He made them want to be baptized when they were eight years of age, both the boys and the girls. When the boys were nearly old enough to be ordained deacons he had talked with them and made them feel that they could be ordained deacons. He was another father. He followed all those families through life and it was said of the ward that every boy and every girl were married in the temple and many of them went on missions.

Photo Credit Sir Manuel

by George Albert Smith

The ward that adjoined this one had another kind of bishop. He was busy. He did not have time to follow up. He let his counselors do that. It was proper that his counselors should do part of it but the difference was noted by the stake presidency, that in the one ward all of the young people, almost without exception, were faithful, took advantage of their opportunities, were prepared and taught beforehand the importance of what they were to receive, while in the other ward if the parents did not teach the children they were not taught except in a mediocre way, and the result was that the majority of those young people grew up, not particularly interested in the church.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF A BISHOP Now, I mention this because a father of a ward, a bishop, has a great responsibility. I do not mean that the father of the child and the mother of the child do not have a responsibility. It is their duty and their responsibility, but what a wonderful addition to the life of these young people when they feel that the bishop recognizes them on the street, goes out of his way to encourage them to do what they ought to do. There is not anything that the children will not do for a bishop of that kind.

Photo Credit Manny Becerra

33 I remember, as if it were yesterday, when John Tingey placed his hands on my head and ordained me a deacon. I had the matter so presented to me and the importance of it, that I felt it was a great honor. The result was, it was a blessing to me, and then after awhile other ordinations came to me. But in each case the foundation was laid in my mind that here was an opportunity for another blessing, and I want to suggest to you fathers who are here tonight, there is no time that you can spend, no way in which you can utilize your time that will be of greater advantage than training your boys and your girls to be worthy of the blessings of our Heavenly Father.

FAILURE OF PARENTS Only a few weeks ago a good woman came into my office, a daughter of one of the most prominent men that ever has been in the church. She said: "I cannot understand why my children do not have any interest in the church." She continued, "I have talked to them and explained to them what they ought to do."

I went back in my mind, and I was not unkind enough to say to her, "What did you do with them when they were younger?" I did not read to her that scripture, Section 68 of the D&C, which says: "Inasmuch as parents have children in Zion, or in any of her stakes, which are organized, that teach them not to understand the doctrine of repentance, faith in Christ the Son of the living God, and of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of the hands, when eight years old, the sin be upon the heads of the parents" (D&C 68:25).

I do not know all the facts in regard to that family but I do know that they spent considerable of their time unmindful of their growing children, and I am wondering if by now, (the father is gone and the mother is still living), I am wondering now if she looked back and took into account what the father and mother did if it would not explain why these children now do not have much faith.

And so, brethren, as fathers, as brothers, as associates, as neighbors, why not lay-up treasures in heaven by going out of our way and encouraging these young people to do what the Lord would have them do, so that as they grow up it will be natural for them to do the things that our Heavenly Father would like them to do.

HISTORY OF JERUSALEM

Reference has been made tonight to Jerusalem. I think the story of Jerusalem is one of the most pathetic of all the stories we hear. A city that had every advantage; a city that had within its walls those that the Lord himself claimed. They were his children and he still claims them. But a city that was so selfish, and the leadership of which was so careless, that the population of the city grew up in wickedness, not one group, but generation after generation, and the city was destroyed repeatedly although the Lord did everything he could by means of his prophets to train them that they could have been preserved.

There was one time when they were preserved. It showed how the power of the Lord could be made manifest. The city was surrounded, and the plans were being made, and the Army outside made its threat, but a prophet went to the Lord and said, "These people need your help. They are repentant and will you not help them. They are helpless. They are surrounded by their enemy," and the next morning when daylight came a very large portion of the army outside was dead (2 Kgs. 19:14-35) The power of the Lord had been made manifest in that case and the city was preserved.

It is marvelous what the Lord has done in that regard, but I am thinking of Jerusalem today. After all these years and experience after experience, it is a battleground, and one of the most undesirable places to be living that you can think of in all the world. But there will come a change. Repentance will come and when that repentance comes and is accepted by the Lord, Jerusalem will be redeemed.

It was redeemed once, you will remember, after being in bondage seventy years. The Lord had told the prophet Jeremiah that Jerusalem would be destroyed, and its people would be in bondage seventy years (Jer. 25:11-12) (Jer. 29:10).

FREEDOM FROM BABYLONIAN CAPTIVITY One hundred years before Cyrus, the general who captured Babylon, was born, the Lord revealed to the Prophet Isaiah that Cyrus should be his servant and say unto Jerusalem that it should be rebuilt (Isa. 44:28) (Isa. 45:1) Babylon at that time was the greatest city in all the world and was thought to be impregnable. Cyrus was not a Jew. Cyrus did not understand the Old Testament, nor did he know of the part he was to play in the freeing of the captive Jews and rebuilding Jerusalem.

34 While Cyrus was besieging the city of Babylon the great king, Belshazzar of Babylon and his associates were using the sacred vessels that had been taken from the house of the Lord in Jerusalem to drink from (Dan. 5:1-31) It was a great debauch, and suddenly in the midst of it was seen a handwriting on the wall these words, "Me-ne, Me-ne, Tekel, U-phar-sin," and they could not read it (Dan. 5:25)

At that very hour "my servant Cyrus" had diverted the river that went through the city from its channel and his army entered under the wall, which wall was so high that it could not be scaled or destroyed with any means or weapons that they had, and so wide that several chariots could ride abreast on the top.

When that gentile, if we may use that term, that alien to those that had had the priesthood and the blessings of the Lord, the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, realized that the Lord had given him Babylon, he issued a proclamation freeing the Jewish captives and returning them to rebuild their city of Jerusalem. He not only took his own army and his own people, but he gave them means to use in payment to the workers.

PRESENT CONDITION OF JEWS

Photo Credit Gioia M.

The Queen said to the King, "There is a Hebrew prophet among us. He can tell you what it means."

And so they went out and brought Daniel in and when Daniel saw the handwriting on the wall he could read it. It was not difficult for him. He was the servant of the Lord. He had the priesthood and he had honored it in a most marvelous way all down through his life.

The king and others felt perfectly secure, feeling that with food and provisions, and a river of water running through the city, not anything could come in to disturb them, and yet on that wall were written the words which, when interpreted, read, "You have been weighed in the balance and found wanting, and your kingdom will be divided among the Medes and the Persians."

I mention this because of the predicament Jerusalem is in tonight. Think of the condition the Jews find themselves in, wherever they are in all the world. I want to say to you that some of the best people that have ever lived were the Hebrew race and they were examples in many instances but they, in some cases, lost their faith and turned away. I want to say that some of the best men and women that we have had in Salt Lake City were Jews. I hope that the Latter-day Saints will not forget, will not fall into the habit that people have who hate the Jews because of their prosperity, and sometimes hate them for other reasons; that they will not fall into the habit of condemning a nation, condemning all those people, without remembering a circumstance that happened in the British Parliament.

DISRAELI'S ANSWER

There was an argument going on between a great Hebrew, Benjamin Disraeli, who was the Prime Minister of England, and a man who was a noted arguer in the House of Lords, and when he could no longer answer the Jew, then he began to taunt him with being a Jew. He said: "Yes, you are only a Jew anyhow."

35 And then Disraeli arose and said: "This man has taunted me with being a Jew. I am a Jew, and I am proud of it. And when the forebears of this man were fighting like wild beasts for their mates, my people were laying the foundation for the literature of the world." That was his answer.

In the midst of the upheavals of the world—I almost hesitate to open the newspaper and see the headlines of all the articles because so many of them are in large type and so often they indicate that the danger of another war confronts us.

And then one more, and I hope we will all remember it. "When this man and those he loves bow in prayer, everything they ask for, they ask for in the name of Jesus Christ, a Jew." I am stressing that tonight, although I did not expect to when I got on my feet because of the hatred that sometimes grows in men's hearts, and we fail to see the virtues of others. Brethren, in the midst of these political campaigns such as we are having now, for goodness’ sake do not stoop to criticizing and finding fault unfairly and unjustly with those who do not believe the same as you do in politics. Let us be real Latter-day Saints, not make believes—and see the virtues of the others.

There is virtue in both camps.

Think of Jerusalem, tonight. Think of the predicament of that great people who have maintained their integrity as a nation, as individuals, as a race, as few others in the world have done. It has been marvelous to me, but see how pitiable their situation is now, and if all the people of the world were righteous and they were in transgression, there would be hope for them because our Heavenly Father has insisted, in his advice and counsel to the world, that "Jerusalem shall be redeemed" (Isa. 52:9) (D&C 109:62)

BLESSINGS PREDICATED ON RIGHTEOUSNESS

We do not have to go so far away. What about America? I was in a meeting, not very long ago, where a group of Boy Scouts stood and sang, "God Bless America," and they sang it beautifully, and all the time they were singing I asked myself the question, "How can he bless America until America repents?" Every great blessing that we desire is promised us by our Heavenly Father on condition that we honor him and keep his commandments. Praying is not sufficient. Not only must we pray but we must live to be worthy of the blessing.

Photo Credit Aaron Burden

Brethren, why did the Lord gather us out from the nations of the earth? Why did he not leave us in all the other lands? Why did he call our forebears to leave the comforts of home and the opportunities and blessings of civilization, such as it was, to come way out here into the tops of these everlasting hills, to settle these sterile desert plains, in many cases? Why? He knew what we needed. He knew that his people would have to keep his commandments if they were to endure, and like the time when the crickets came and were about to devour the crops, and starvation stared our people in the face, there were those among them who knew there was a way out. They did not know what it was, but then they began to pray.

They had done everything else to destroy the pests, but when they began to pray there came into the western sky big flocks of seagulls, and they came in and began to devour the crickets.

36 Do you suppose that would have happened if those people had been wicked, if they had been immoral, if they had been drunken, if they had been violators of the commandments of God? I cannot believe it would have occurred, but I believe that among those people were some of the finest men and women that have ever lived upon the earth, and for that reason the Lord preserved their crops.

FAITH REWARDED IN BEAR RIVER Then there was a circumstance up here on the Bear River. For ten years the frost had taken their crops every year. People had to go out of the valley for their breadstuffs. They could raise hay and cattle, but they could not mature their food crops. And the President of the Church and his brethren went up there to hold conference. And when they were coming, O how the people prayed that the President of the Church, the prophet of the Lord, would rebuke the curse that seemed to be upon that land, that they might raise their harvest.

There may be quite a number of people from that stake here tonight because there are a lot of fine people who live there now.

And their conference was held—two days of conference. And the brethren had all talked. Not a word was said about their distress; not anything was said to them to encourage them that conditions would be better. The benediction was pronounced, and the people were going out, and all at once the President stood up and he said: "Call the people back. I have something to say to them."

They came back and took their seats, and he said: "Now, you people have been faithful. You have not run away from here. You stayed. You have tilled the ground. You have done your best and every year you have lost your harvest of grain. The Lord knows what you need, and I can say to you that from this time forth you shall raise your crop."

Imagine after ten years, but they have raised a crop in that valley ever since. These things are not accidents, my brethren. The authority of the priesthood, properly exercised, brings to our minds the fact that we are not very far from the Lord and he is all-powerful and he is all-merciful.

If we repent of our foolishness and turn to him, he will hear and answer our prayers.

Brethren, bishops, I was sorry that I could not be with you last night. Bishop Richards, I think I owe an apology right from the stand here. I went home last night after the meeting and went to bed just as soon as I could get there after the afternoon meeting, because I wanted to come down to your meeting. But when the time came to dress and come down, I got up and I was so weak I did not dare to come. I did not dress. I went back to bed, and I missed your fine meeting. But I wanted to be there and I am sure you had a happy time.

OFFICE OF A BISHOP I want to say this to the bishops. There is no position in the Church that will bring a greater blessing to any man than the office of a bishop, if he will honor that office and be a real father to the flock over whom he is called to preside. Do not forget that. He can go into the home, not to scold and find fault and criticize, but he can go like a loving grandfather, if I may use that term, and the family will pay attention, if he is wise, and he can gather them around him. And if he can only get his ward teachers to help him, there could be a great change in some of the wards of this church.

I am pleading with you, my brethren. Do not be satisfied with just going to the door and saying: "We want to know if everything is all right," and go your way. That is not the duty. That is not the way a ward teacher should operate, but every bishop should have under his direction men, young men, middle-aged men and old men, who will go into the homes, not apologizing for breaking into the house, but going as ward teachers.

WARD TEACHING

Rodney Badger was a teacher in my father's home for years, and a great man. Whenever he came the family met and he sat and asked us questions and told us the things that he thought we ought to understand. And I want to tell you that when he came into our home he brought the spirit of the Lord with him. And when he went out we felt we had had a visit from a servant of the Lord.

37 Let us try and see if we cannot improve our ward teaching, brethren. Surely, in some cases, it is pitiable, because the Lord has given us all the power and authority and the ability to go into the homes and draw his sons and daughters nearer to him. But we often feel that we are so busy with other things we cannot do it.

BLESSINGS PROMISED BISHOPS I am not complaining. I know what a difficult thing it is to be a bishop. I have been in the homes of many bishops and I have ordained a good many, and I have followed them and seen what their experiences were; they have a very great responsibility, and it takes a lot of their time. But I want to say to you that there is no bishop, nor has there been a bishop in the Church, who has given the time, that the Lord expected him to give in looking after the flock and teaching his people and preparing them to do the work, that has not received one hundred percent of the blessings that he labored for, and they will extend to him throughout the ages of eternity.

He may not have had wealth, may not have had distinction. He may not have had the honor of presiding over clubs and things of that kind, but if he has done his duty as a bishop, he has been hand in hand with the Father of us all, and everything that he has done to bless his kind is laid up as a treasure in heaven and nobody can take the blessing from him.

Let us see if we cannot improve that, brethren.

As well as some of us have done, let us see if we cannot do better.

FALSE TEACHERS

There is one little item here that has been called to our attention. In some of our wards, in order to draw the congregations and bring more people out, our bishops, and in some cases, our auxiliary organization leaders, go out and find somebody to come and deliver a lecture in the Sunday night meeting. Sometimes men are invited they do not know anything about and sometimes those men say things that are not what should be said in the meeting.

There are two Indians that are working now among our people and they are being invited from ward to ward and they are going in and telling stories, and they dress up with their feathers and costumes that are attractive to young people, and we are informed that they teach things that are foreign to what we believe and what the Lord wants us to have our people believe.

Bishops, and leaders of organizations, protect your people from those who would teach them things that would be harmful to them. There are some of the finest people in the world that are Indians. Those men that I am talking about now may have many good traits of character, but right now they are going among our people and saying and doing things that will do harm and will all have to be set aside, because they are not telling that which is true. So, we would like you tonight to pass that on in your wards, and stakes, you stake presidents and the bishops that are here, and in whatever you do, protect your people in the ward from those that you do not know anything about and who will seek an opportunity to come in and talk to the people when they should not be permitted to do so, because they are not teaching that which would be helpful to the people.

HONOR THE SABBATH Another thing, brethren, our bishops and our stake presidents can have a tremendous influence in bringing the people of their wards and stakes to feel that they must honor the Sabbath day.

Honoring the Sabbath day and keeping it holy is a commandment of our Heavenly Father. Six days he has given us to do about as we please, as long as we do not do wrong, but on the seventh, he said, "The seventh is the Sabbath of the Lord Thy God" (Ex. 20:8-11) He has advised us to do no work, neither our animals, nor the stranger within our gates, and he has promised us blessings if we will do what we ought to do.

Brethren, it is not an insignificant thing to violate the Sabbath day. I want to say that you lose every time you violate the Sabbath day, you lose more than you can gain, no matter what you may think you are going to gain, but your boys and girls sometimes do not understand that. Teach it to them. Teach them that their homes may be the abiding place of prayer.

38 I remember when I was a child, living right across the street from here and the boys would come over to our place on Sunday after Sunday School, and I was like the boys, I thought it would be lots of fun to play ball and to play other games. But I had a wonderful mother. She did not say, "You cannot do it," but she did say: "Son, you will be happier if you do not do that. Let the boys go home and read a good book."

HOME TRAINING I want to tell you I am grateful for that kind of training in the home, but there are places where the children are turned loose and they are not guarded and they are not protected and they are not trained, and the result is, not only do they lose the blessing that would be eternally advantageous to them, but they cross to the devil's side of the line, and the first thing you know they do things that they should not do.

I want to say that just as soon as we go into the devil's territory we are in his power, and our safety is on the Lord's side of the line, and the Lord's side of the line is on the side of the Ten Commandments and the other commandments that the Lord has given, and we can easily tell what they are.

PROTECTION OF YOUNG WOMEN

Quite a number of our young people are leaving home in the country settlements and coming here to Salt Lake City. Our young girls are coming, and when they come if they are not in homes that will protect them, not under the supervision of good women, they are in great danger. If I were living in some of the outlying settlements, knowing what I know, if I had a precious daughter I never would let her come to Salt Lake City without a guardian, no matter how good she was. If I let her come at all I would be sure that she was properly safeguarded and chaperoned and helped.

Brethren, pass that word around. It is such an attractive thing for these girls to come where the bright lights are, and the papers are always telling what is going on here, but their eternal happiness may be destroyed by falling into the hands of some wicked, careless boy or man. And when they are ruined it is too late then to begin to say, "I wish we had not done it." Safeguard them, please, as far as you can, and when they come to the city and you know they are coming, you bishops send word here. You can send word or find out what ward they go into and you can write the bishops direct. If there is no other way, write the Young Women's Mutual Improvement Association and give the addresses of these girls, and they will help to take care of them. They will do a wonderful job for you and help to save those that are more precious than gold.

WATCHCARE NEEDED A great effort is being made right now to break into the ranks of this people. Others who are not members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints are building churches, building houses of amusement among us, and those who are skillful in attracting young people are gathering them in, and some of our young people have asked to have their names taken from the records of the church.

They come out of good homes, but in some cases have not been taught properly and are easily misled by strangers.

Brethren, watch your people. You may have cattle and sheep on a thousand hills and all the hay and grain and potatoes and other things, you may own stocks and bonds and houses and banks and everything, but if you, by reason of your own carelessness and indifference, lose one of those young sons or daughters that God has given to you, you will be repenting of it a long time, and your repentance may not accomplish what you desire.

There is a lot I might say but there is not time. I have talked so long now.

39 It is lovely to be here with you. I am happy to be with a group of men like this, so many young men and boys here. Remember boys, every one of you, is a child of our Heavenly Father. Every one of you is living eternal life. Each of you boys and men, if you live properly, has a right to the priesthood of the living God. Do not lose that blessing and that privilege. And fathers, with your wives, teach your children the beauty of the things that the Lord has given to us as the gospel of Jesus Christ, and they will be happy and you will be happy, and your families will not be broken up by those who mislead them, many times wilfully and maliciously.

THE LORD'S HELP NEEDED

This is a day and age of the world when we need the Lord's help, every one of us. I am grateful that we have almost everywhere now, in our schools, in our congress, in our stakes in different parts of the world, good men and good women that are not only teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ but they are living it. Wonderful helps they are in the various places that they are in, and we need it all.

All those who have faith and live to be worthy of the inspiration of the Lord will be guided and inspired and helped in times of distress. He is not so far away. He is our Father. He loves us and wants us to be worthy to be called his children.

This great body of men here tonight, this marvelous group, every one of you is a son of our Heavenly Father. This great group of men, every one is living eternal life, and the gospel of Jesus Christ was given to our forbears and now to us, to prepare us to live with him eternally on this earth when it becomes the celestial kingdom.

Can you think of anything more wonderful?

BLESSINGS AND TESTIMONY

May the Lord add his blessing. I pray that he will bless every one of you fine men, you teachers in the schools, you men in the wards and stakes, those of you who are working in companionship with men and boys and women in different parts of the world, I pray the Lord to bless you that you will not lose an opportunity to help uplift and develop and bring them to be what our Father would have them to be, and they will be your companions, then, throughout the ages of eternity.

God lives. Jesus is the Christ. Joseph Smith was a Prophet of the Living God. The Lord gave to him the priesthood that we hold, and it will continue to be passed on to our descendants as it came from our forebears, if we will do our part.

God bless you brethren; I am so grateful to be with you.

Think of what it means to be a royal priesthood, not a make-believe, but a royal priesthood, everyone having contact, if we will, with the power of our Heavenly Father, the great King of kings and Lord of lords (Rev. 19:16) This is his work and I bear my testimony to you that I know it as I know that I live, in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

AN UNCHANGEABLE GOD 40

October 11,2023

1. And now, I speak also concerning those who do not believe in Christ.

2. Behold, will ye believe in the day of your visitation-behold, when the Lord shall come, yea, even that great day when the earth shall be rolled together as a scroll, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, yea, in that great day when ye shall be brought to stand before the Lamb of God-then will ye say that there is no God? 3. Then will ye longer deny the Christ, or can ye behold the Lamb of God? Do ye suppose that ye shall dwell with him under a consciousness of your guilt? Do ye suppose that ye could be happy to dwell with the holy Being, when your souls are racked with a consciousness of guilt that ye have ever abused his laws?

4. Behold, I say unto you that ye shall be more miserable to dwell with a holy and just God, under a consciousness of your filthiness before him, than ye would to dwell with the damned souls in hell.

5. For behold, when ye shall be brought to see your nakedness before God, and also the glory of God, and the holiness of Jesus Christ, it will kindle a flame of unquenchable fire upon you.

6. O then ye unbelieving, turn ye unto the Lord; cry mightily unto the Father in the name of Jesus, that perhaps ye may be found spotless, pure, fair, and white, having been cleansed by the blood of the Lamb, at that great and last day.

Mormon - Chapter 9

7 And again I speak unto you who deny the revelations of God, and say that they are done away, that there are no revelations, nor prophecies, nor gifts, nor healing, nor speaking with tongues, and the interpretation of tongues; 8 Behold I say unto you, he that denieth these things knoweth not the gospel of Christ; yea, he has not read the scriptures; if so, he does not understand them.

9 For do we not read that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and in him there is no variableness neither shadow of changing?

10 And now, if ye have imagined up unto yourselves a god who doth vary, and in whom there is shadow of changing, then have ye imagined up unto yourselves a god who is not a God of miracles.

11 But behold, I will show unto you a God of miracles, even the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; and it is that same God who created the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are.

12 Behold, he created Adam, and by Adam came the fall of man. And because of the fall of man came Jesus Christ, even the Father and the Son; and because of Jesus Christ came the redemption of man.

13 And because of the redemption of man, which came by Jesus Christ, they are brought back into the presence of the Lord; yea, this is wherein all men are redeemed, because the death of Christ bringeth to pass the resurrection, which bringeth to pass a redemption from an endless sleep, from which sleep all men shall be awakened by the power of God when the trump shall sound; and they shall come forth, both small and great, and all shall stand before his bar, being redeemed and loosed from this eternal band of death, which death is a temporal death.

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41 14 And then cometh the judgement of the Holy One upon them; and then cometh the time that he that is filthy, shall be filthy still; and he that is righteous shall be righteous still; he that is happy shall be happy still; and he that is unhappy shall be unhappy still.

24 And these signs shall follow them that believe —in my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover;

15 And now, O all ye that have imagined up unto yourselves a god who can do no miracles, I would ask of you, have all these things passed, of which I have spoken? Has the end come yet? Behold I say unto you, Nay; and God has not ceased to be a God of miracles.

25 And whosoever shall believe in my name, doubting nothing, unto him will I confirm all my words, even unto the ends of the earth.

16 Behold, are not the things that God hath wrought marvelous in our eyes? Yea, and who can comprehend the marvelous works of God? 17 Who shall say that it was not a miracle that by his word the heaven and the earth should be; and by the power of his word man was created of the dust of the earth; and by the power of his word have miracles been wrought?

18 And who shall say that Jesus Christ did not do many mighty miracles? And there were many might miracles wrought by the hands of the apostles.

19 And if there were miracles wrought then, why has God ceased to be a God of miracles and yet be an unchangeable Being? And behold, I say unto you he changeth not; if so, he would cease to be God; and he ceaseth not to be God and is a God of miracles.

20 And the reason why he ceaseth to do miracles among the children of men is because that they dwindle in unbelief, and depart from the right way, and know not the God in whom they should trust.

21 Behold, I say unto you that whoso believeth in Christ, doubting nothing, whatsoever he shall ask the Father in the name of Christ it shall be granted him; and this promise is unto all, even unto the ends of the earth.

22 For behold, thus said Jesus Christ, the Son of God, unto his disciples who should tarry, yea, and also to all his disciples, in the hearing of the multitude: Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature; 23 And he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but he that believeth not shall be damned;

26 And now, behold, who can stand against the works of the Lord? Who can deny his sayings?

Who will rise up against the almighty power of the Lord? Who will despise the works of the Lord? Who will despise the children of Christ?

Behold, all ye who are despisers of the works of the Lord, for ye shall wonder and perish.

27 O then despise not, and wonder not, but hearken unto the words of the Lord, and ask the Father in the name of Jesus for what things soever ye shall stand in need. Doubt not, but be believing, and begin as in times of old, and come unto the Lord with all your heart, and work out your own salvation with fear and trembling before him.

28 Be wise in the days of your probation; strip yourselves of all uncleanness; ask not, that ye may consume it on your lusts, but ask with a firmness unshaken, that ye will yield to no temptation, but that ye will serve the true and living God. 29 See that ye are not baptized unworthily, see that ye partake not of the sacrament of Christ unworthily; but see that ye do all things in worthiness, and do it in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God; and if ye do this, and endure to the end, ye will in nowise be cast out.

30 Behold, I speak unto you as though I spake from the dead; for I know that ye shall have my words.

31 Condemn me not because of mine imperfection, neither my father, because of his imperfection, neither them who have written before him; but rather give thanks unto God that he hath made manifest unto you our imperfections, that ye may learn to be more wise than we have been.

42 32 And now, behold, we have written this record according to our knowledge, in the characters which are called among us the reformed Egyptian, being handed down and altered by us, according to our manner of speech.

33 And if our plates had been sufficiently, large we should have written in Hebrew; but the Hebrew hath been altered by us also; and if we could have written in Hebrew, behold, ye would have had no imperfection in our record.

34 But the Lord knoweth the things which we have written, and also that none other people knoweth our language; and because that none other people knoweth our language, therefore he hath prepared means for the interpretation thereof.

35 And these things are written that we may rid our garments of the blood of our bretheran, who have dwindled in unbelief.

36 And behold, these things which we have desired concerning our brethren, yea, even their restoration to the knowledge of Christ, are according to the prayers of all the saints who have dwelt in the land.

37 And may the Lord Jesus Christ grant that their prayers may be answered according to their faith; and may God the Father remember the covenant which he hath made with the house of Israel; and may he bless them forever, through faith on the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

A GOD OF MIRACLES 43

2001

With Moroni of old, I believe in a God of miracles.

Moroni wrote to the people of our dispensation, “Behold, I will show unto you a God of miracles, … and it is that same God who created the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are” (Mormon 9:11) Moroni proclaimed that Jesus Christ did many mighty miracles, that many mighty miracles were wrought by the hands of the Apostles, and that a God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever must be a God of miracles today (Mormon 9:18) (Mormon 9:9) Think of the miracles of the Old Testament.

Remember Moses and the parting of the Red Sea. For all future generations of Israelites, the great miracles that led to their deliverance from Egypt provided undeniable proof of God’s existence and His love for them.

Many Book of Mormon prophets, including Nephi, pointed to the story of Moses to encourage faith and belief in a God who could deliver His people in their distress (1 Ne. 4:1–3) Other Book of Mormon prophets reminded the people that they themselves had witnessed miracles that should convince them of God’s power.

In the New Testament, the Apostle John shared his reason for recording many of the Savior’s miracles —namely, “that [we] might believe that Jesus is the Christ” (John 20:31)

Photo Credit Liane Metzler

by Sydney S. Reynolds

In this dispensation we witness the great miracle of the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the earth. It began when a young boy entered a grove of trees near Palmyra, New York, and poured out his heart and his questions to a God he believed could answer him—the God of miracles. And miracles have followed in this dispensation— mighty miracles—including the coming forth of the Book of Mormon, which is itself another testament of Jesus Christ.

Just as important as these “mighty miracles” are the smaller “private miracles” that teach each of us to have faith in the Lord. These come as we recognize and heed the promptings of the Spirit in our lives.

I am grateful for a teacher who encouraged his students to keep a journal of the whisperings or promptings of the Spirit in their lives. He directed us to note what we felt and what resulted. Little things became evident. One day I was frantically trying to complete some assignments and prepare for a trip. I had just been down to the laundry area of the dorm to move my clothes from the washer to the dryer. Unfortunately, all the dryers were in use, and they all had many minutes to go. I went back upstairs discouraged, knowing by the time those dryers finished, I had to be on the road.

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44 I had barely returned to my room when I felt prompted to go back downstairs and check the laundry again. Foolishness, I thought, I had just been there, and I didn’t have time. But because I was trying to listen, I went. Two of the dryers were empty—and I was able to meet all my commitments. Could the Lord possibly have been concerned about smoothing my way in such a small but, to me, important matter? I have learned since through many such experiences that the Lord will help us in every aspect of our lives when we are trying to serve Him and do His will.

I believe that all of us can bear witness to these small miracles. We know children who pray for help to find a lost item and find it. We know of young people who gather the courage to stand as a witness of God and feel His sustaining hand. We know friends who pay their tithing with the last of their money and then, through a miracle, find themselves able to pay their tuition or their rent or somehow obtain food for their family. We can share experiences of prayers answered and priesthood blessings that gave courage, brought comfort, or restored health. These daily miracles acquaint us with the hand of the Lord in our lives.

My mind has been much on this topic because of an experience our family has had in the last few months. Our daughter and her husband took a while to find each other and then, though they wanted children with all their hearts, over a number of years had difficulty realizing that dream. They prayed and they sought priesthood blessings and medical help, and eventually were thrilled to learn they were expecting twins.

Things did not go smoothly, however, and three and a half months before the babies were due to arrive, the mother-to-be found herself in the labor and delivery section of the hospital. The doctors at first were hopeful that they could stop the labor for a few more weeks. Quickly, however, the question became, would they even have the 48 hours necessary for medication to prepare the babies’ immature lungs to function?

A nurse came in from the newborn intensive care unit to show the couple pictures of the machines the babies would be hooked up to if they were born alive. She explained the risks for eye damage, for lung collapse, for physical impairment, for brain damage. The couple listened, humbled yet hopeful, and then, despite all the doctors could do, it was obvious that these babies were coming.

They were born alive. First the baby girl and then the baby boy—weighing less than four pounds together—were rushed to the intensive care unit and put on ventilators, with umbilical tubes and intravenous lines and constant attention. They can’t have too much light, they can’t have too much noise, their chemical balances need constant monitoring, as the hospital, with millions of dollars of equipment and many wonderful doctors and nurses, attempted to replicate the miracle of a mother’s womb.

There are multitudes of little miracles every day: a collapsed lung heals and then, despite the odds, continues to function properly; pneumonia is beaten back; more deadly infections invade and are overcome; IV lines go bad and are replaced.

After two and a half months, the baby boy has gained two pounds and can breathe with an oxygen supplement. His ventilator is gone, he learns to eat, and his grateful parents take him home with monitors attached.

The baby girl keeps pulling her ventilator tube out, setting off alarms across the nursery. Maybe she wants to keep up with her brother, we think, but her throat closes off each time, and she just can’t breathe on her own. Her throat is so inflamed that at times the respiratory therapists have great difficulty reinserting the tube, and she almost dies.

Her normal progress is stymied by her continued dependence on the ventilator.

Finally, after her baby brother has been home for two months, the doctors feel they are forced to suggest surgery for her—a surgery that will allow her to breathe by opening a hole in her throat, a surgery that might solve the stomach problems by opening a hole in her side, but a surgery that will impact her little body for many more months and maybe for the rest of her life.

45 As the parents wrestled with this decision, a beloved aunt sent a message to all the family.

She explained the situation—the critical issue of timing, the importance of getting off the ventilator—and suggested that we join our faith once again, and in prayer and fasting ask for one more miracle—if it was the Lord’s will. We would culminate our fast with a prayer the evening of December 3.

Let me read from a letter that was sent to the family the morning of December 4. “Dearest Family, Wonderful news! Blessings from the Lord.

Our heartfelt thanks for your prayers and fasting in behalf of our little girl. Yesterday morning she came off the ventilator and has been off for 24 hours at this writing. To us, it is a miracle. The medical staff are still guarded about predicting the future, but we are so grateful to the Lord and to you. We are praying that this will mark the beginning of the end of her hospital stay. And we even dare to hope that she’ll be home for Christmas.”

She did make it home for Christmas, and both babies are currently doing “just fine.” Our family has had its own “parting of the Red Sea,” and we are prepared to testify that there is today, as there was yesterday and will be forever, a “God of miracles” who loves His children and desires to bless them.

Now, we know, as you do, that all petitions to the Lord and all fasts do not receive this same hoped-for answer. Our extended family also has faced the death of loved ones, serious illness, the trial of divorce, and children who are choosing another path. We do not always understand the reasons behind the tests that come with mortality. But our faith has grown, and perhaps yours has too, as we have watched loved ones, friends, and people we know only by reputation endure with faith in the Lord the most severe trials. They, too, know the God of miracles and witness in their extremity that whatever the future holds for them, the Lord knows them and loves them and is blessing them. They are sealed to Him and to each other forever, and they are willing to submit their wills to His.

How have they come to such a point? How do we access the quiet miracle that the Lord works as He transforms us, His children, into worthy heirs of the kingdom of God? I believe it is made possible because “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16) I believe it comes as we yield to the enticings of the Spirit, put off the natural man, and are filled with the love of God (Mosiah 3:19) “Through the Atonement of [Jesus] Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel” (Articles of Faith 1:3) All mankind—that includes me, that includes you—we can each have part in the Atonement, the greatest of all God’s miracles.

God did part the Red Sea, and He did give us the Book of Mormon. He can heal us of our sins, and He can and will bless us, His children, in our daily lives. I know that He lives and loves us and is today a God of miracles, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

THE ORIGIN OF MAN 46

April 1945

by George Albert Smith

My dear brothers and sisters, all children of our Heavenly Father: Wherever you may be, I greet you and address you with a prayerful desire that what I say may be a source of comfort and prove to be a blessing.

This was all a spiritual creation. Then follows the physical creation.

GOD'S PLAN IN THE CREATION

It was in the plan of our Heavenly Father that every living thing that he created should each reproduce after its kind. Adam and Eve were the children of God; they were our first parents, and every human being that has lived upon the earth descended from them. God gave them their agency to decide for themselves in all matters and held them responsible for their conduct. They received their instructions in the Garden of Eden from our Heavenly Father and those teachings were preserved for succeeding generations.

The Holy Bible contains the advice of our Heavenly Father, and I accept without mental reservation the statements made in Genesis, chapters 1 and 2, that in the beginning God created the heaven and the earth and every living thing that has inhabited the earth, including man (Gen. 1:1-31) (Gen. 2:1-25) So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

And God blessed them, and God said unto them, be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it (Gen. 1:27-28) These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.

And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground (Gen. 2:4-5)

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And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul (Gen. 2:7)

Biblical chronology indicates that nearly six thousand years ago our first parents began their earth life. The Lord instructed them how they should conduct themselves, and his prophets divinely commissioned to speak for him, have taught Adam's descendants through the ages how to live to be happy in mortality and so qualify that when the time comes for them to die, they may pass into immortality taking with them the riches of their characters and the knowledge they have gained here. Those who conform their lives most nearly to the teachings of our Heavenly Father will receive the greatest reward and enjoy the most happiness here and hereafter.

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47 THE VALUE OF THE BIBLE Among other things, the prophets were required to keep a record of the truth that was revealed to them from time to time that it might be passed on for the benefit of their posterity, each generation inheriting from its forebears. Today, therefore, we of this generation are in possession of a record that has been preserved for our guidance containing information that the Lord has revealed from the beginning. I refer to the Holy Bible. Not only does it declare that which has occurred in the past, but it tells of events that were to occur in the future, in some cases generations before they actually did occur. It also informs us that fulfilment occurred at the time that had been specified. The Prophet Amos said: Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets (Amos 3:7)

THE WARNING OF THE PROPHETS I know of nothing of great importance that has happened in the world that the Lord through his prophets has not advised the people of beforehand, so that they have not been left in ignorance of what was to develop, but could plan their lives, if they would, to their advantage. I cite the following incidents in support of this: The case of Noah is in point. He was commanded of the Lord to build an ark in which the righteous might be preserved from the flood which was to come. Noah built the ark and preached repentance to his generation for a period of one hundred and twenty years, thus fully warning them. The people, however, were so wicked that they failed to heed the warning. Having their agency, they chose evil rather than righteousness. The rains descended, and the floods came, and only Noah and his family of eight souls were saved. All had been fully warned, but because of their wilfulness and their refusal to repent they were drowned (Gen. 6:1-22) (Gen. 7:1-24) (1 Pet. 3:20) (Moses 8:17)

Another instance is that of Abraham and his posterity. He was informed that his seed would go into a strange land and after serving there for a period of four hundred years, would come out with great substance, all of which was thereafter literally fulfilled when Moses, being a descendant of Abraham, led the children of Israel out of Egypt back to the promised land (Gen. 15:13-14) (Abr. 1:16) Joseph, a faithful son of Jacob, who had been sold into slavery by his brothers, was in a prison in Egypt when Pharaoh had a dream that troubled him, that his wise men could not interpret. Pharaoh was told that Joseph could interpret the dream, and he was brought before the king. He informed Pharaoh that he could not interpret the dream, but that God would give Pharaoh the answer. Joseph, having received the interpretation from the Lord, told Pharaoh that his dream was of great importance, that there were to be seven years of plenty throughout the land, followed by seven years of famine, and if Pharaoh during the years of plenty would accumulate food, when the famine came his people would not starve. Pharaoh accepted Joseph's interpretation and advice, then rewarded him by making him overseer of Egypt, only the king being greater than he. At the end of fourteen years the dream as interpreted by Joseph had been literally fulfilled, the Egyptians having been saved from starvation (Gen. 41:1-57) Another prophetic incident was the attempt to rebuild Jericho. When the city of Jericho was overthrown, a curse was placed upon it, and the people were warned that any man who should rebuild it would lose his first-born and his youngest son (Josh. 6:26) The city lay waste until hundreds of years had passed, when Hiel, a Bethelite, who lived in the days of Ahab, ventured to rebuild the city, but no sooner had he laid its foundation than Abiram, his first born son, died.

Still persevering in his determination to complete his work, he set up the gates, and Segub, his youngest son, passed away, thus fulfilling the prophecy (1 Kgs. 16:34)

48 Then there is the instance where Jeremiah prophesied that Jerusalem would be overthrown, and her people remain in bondage for seventy years (Jer. 25:11-12) This was to be accomplished

by Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. In due time Jerusalem with its beautiful temple was burned.

Her princes, nobles, artisans, and many of her people were carried as prisoners to Babylon along with the sacred vessels from the temple.

One hundred and forty years before Cyrus the Great was born, the prophet Isaiah predicted his birth and announced his name and said that he should overthrow Babylon; also, that he would rebuild Jerusalem, notwithstanding the fact that he was alien to all the interests of the Jews (Isa. 44:28) (Isa. 45:1) When Cyrus was about fifty years of age, after subduing many peoples and small nations, he appeared with his army before Babylon, the then greatest of all cities, with its impregnable walls, three hundred feet high, and its mighty gates of iron and brass. Instead of attacking the walls, he diverted the Euphrates River that flowed through the city and used the channel under the walls by which to enter Babylon. He captured the city without difficulty, while Belshazzar, the king, with his courtiers were drinking themselves drunk and desecrating the sacred vessels of the house of the Lord which his father, Nebuchadnezzar, had brought from Jerusalem.

Within the city, Cyrus found the Hebrew prophet, Daniel, who had already interpreted the handwriting on the wall, having informed Belshazzar that he had been "weighed in the balance and found wanting" (Dan. 5:27) Having access to the Jewish records, Cyrus learned that the God of Israel had decreed that he was to rebuild Jerusalem. He promptly issued a proclamation to the Jews to return to Jerusalem and for the nations to assist them in rebuilding the city and the temple. This was accomplished exactly seventy years after Jerusalem was destroyed, thus fulfilling Jeremiah's prophecy uttered more than one hundred years before (Jer. 29:10)

The destruction of Babylon is another case in point (Isa. 13:1-22) When Babylon was in the height of her glory, Isaiah prophesied that it should be destroyed, "that it should never be inhabited, neither dwelt in from generation to generation" (Isa. 13:20) It was completely destroyed and inundated by the flood waters of the river. Now, after more than two thousand years, the city that at that time was the greatest under heaven is still a heap of ruins.

The Old Testament is replete with remarkable and almost unbelievable prophecies that were fulfilled to the letter. Only by the revelations of the Lord could the prophets have known what was to occur and only God could fulfill their predictions. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Joseph, and others were human beings like their fellows, but they were chosen to represent the Lord and the inspiration of the Almighty directed their utterances and the power of the Lord fulfilled their promises.

Let us refer to one of many predictions in the New Testament. Read the entire twenty-first chapter of St. Luke (Luke 21:1-38) And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh (Luke 21:20) This prophecy involves the fate of Jerusalem, of the temple, and the whole Jewish nation for nineteen hundred years and is still in the course of fulfilment.

In the year 70 A.D., the Roman army encompassed Jerusalem. The faithful disciples, remembering the warning that Jesus had given, fled to the mountains. The city was taken after a long siege in which the inhabitants suffered the extremes of famine, pestilence, and the sword. In addition to those taken captive one and one-half million Jews perished. The country was laid waste and the temple destroyed, not one stone being left upon another, and the population was dispersed into all the nations of the earth—all as predicted.

49 Today the Jews are a people without a country and are suffering most inhuman treatment under the tyranny of so-called Christian nations. In their dispersion and suffering they have fulfilled prophecy and will in the future further fulfill it by returning to their homeland.

Jerusalem and Babylon, warned by the Lord's servants that they must repent of their wickedness or they would be punished, defiantly refused, and destruction followed. Other cities and nations have become rich, powerful, and wicked, and have passed into oblivion. As we look back at these happenings do we fail to realize that today the world is reaping a harvest of sorrow and destruction because of the iniquity of its inhabitants?

REPENTANCE THE SALVATION OF MANKIND With the people of the world ignoring the advice of our Heavenly Father and suffering the penalty of wilfulness, will we follow the path of evil when the history of the past teaches us that destruction will eventually overtake us unless we turn to the Lord? Only repentance can save us.

Will we repent before it is too late?

We are not landlords. We do not own any part of the earth or its riches. At most we are only temporary tenants. We leave it all here when we pass on. Naked we came into the world, and naked we depart (Job 1:21) This is the Lord's earth, and keeping his commandments is the rent we pay for the blessings of life and all that we will enjoy here and hereafter.

We are living eternal life, and our position hereafter will be the result of our lives here. Every man will be judged according to his works (Rev. 20:13) and he will receive only that degree of glory that he has earned.

It is nearly two thousand years since Jesus Christ our Lord came to earth and gave his life as a ransom for us that through him all might be resurrected from the dead. He was the first fruits of the resurrection (1 Cor. 15:20,23) He taught us to love our neighbor as ourselves (Matt. 22:39) and to do good to all people (Matt. 5:44) (Luke 6:35) His teachings in the New Testament are a most valuable part of the Holy Bible. It was he who said: Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me (John 5:39) He knew that a knowledge of the scriptures was most important. The nations that have been most influenced by the Bible have accomplished most to bring success and happiness and enlightenment to the world along every line of endeavor because they have profited by the guidance of the God of heaven and earth. We read in Job: . . . There is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding (Job 32:8) In times like these we should seek that inspiration through righteousness. It will come in no other way.

With our sons and daughters pouring out their blood like a river on the battlefields of the world to save us from destruction, surely the most praiseworthy and effective thing we can do to show our appreciation of their sacrifice will be to repent of our sins and set our lives and our homes in order so that we can worthily ask our Heavenly Father to restore peace to the earth and bring our loved ones back to us again.

I am grateful for the companionship of the many intelligent, righteous people who live in this most favored of all lands and in other lands. My life has been enriched by your association, and I thank you for it. I desire most earnestly that we shall all earn and receive an eternal inheritance in the celestial kingdom of our Lord right here upon this earth when we attain to immortality. In this the evening of my mortal life, I leave with you my testimony that I know that the God of our fathers, our God still lives and loves us and desires our happiness and exaltation, and I leave this witness with my love and blessing in the name of Jesus Christ his Beloved Son, our Redeemer. Amen.

DIVINE REDEEMER 50

April 1958

"Now upon the first day of the week, early in the morning, the women came unto the sepulchre . . .

They found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. And they entered in and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. And it came to pass that as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold two men stood by them in shining garments! And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, the angel said unto them, why seek ye the living among the dead? Fear not ye, be not affrighted; for I know that ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified.

He is not here, for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay—where they laid him.

And go quickly and tell his disciples and Peter that He is risen from the dead—that He goeth before you into Galilee; there ye shall see Him. Remember how He spoke unto you while He was yet in Galilee saying: The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and the third day rise again. Lo, I have told you" (Matt. 28:5-7) (Mark 16:5-7) (Luke 24:1-8) Thus do the writers of the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, record the greatest event in the history of the world, the literal resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior of mankind.

Photo Credit Pisit Heng

by Harold B. Lee

Dramatically had been demonstrated the greatest of all the divine powers of an incarnated Son of God. He had declared to the sorrowing Martha, at the time of the death of her brother Lazarus: "I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live!" (John 11:25) To the Jews with murderous intent, His pronouncement of His divine power was even more explicit and meaningful.

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.

"For as the Father hath life in himself, so hath He given to the Son to have life in Himself: "And to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of God" (John 5:25-26) Following swiftly His own resurrection, there came evidence of a second transcendent power to raise from the grave, not only Himself, but others "who though dead, had believed in Him." Matthew makes this simple, forthright record of the miraculous resurrection of the faithful, from mortal death, "And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the Saints which slept arose, and came out of the graves, after His resurrection, and walked into the holy city and appeared unto many" (Matt. 27:5253)

Photo Credit Stacey Franco

51 Nor was this to be the end of the redemptive powers of this illustrious Son of God. Down through the ages, in every dispensation, has come the cheering promise: "For as in Adam all die even so in Christ shall all be made alive" (1 Cor. 15:22) ". . . they that have done good unto the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation" (John 5:29) Time is rapidly moving on to a complete consummation of His divine mission.

If the full significance of these thrilling events were understood in this day when, as the prophets foretold: The wicked are preparing to slay the wicked; and "fear shall come upon every man" (D&C 63:33) this understanding would put to flight many of the fears and anxieties which beset men and nations. Indeed, if we "fear God and honor the king" (1 Pet. 2:17) we can then lay claim to the glorious promise of the Master: "If you strip yourselves from jealousies and from fear, you shall see me" (D&C 67:10)

In the brief time allotted for this Easter message, I should like to cite a few of the "inevitables" which all may one day face and draw some parallels from sacred writings in the hope of vitalizing the mission of the Redeemer to all who listen and hopefully to those who may read. This evidence will demonstrate, to some extent, how an unshakable faith in the reality of the resurrected Lord and in the certainty of the resurrection of all mankind would provide the essential courage to accept "insecurity with equanimity" in a material world. Thus, may all successfully combat the apprehensions and tensions which are so destructive among us today.

Consider as one of life's inevitable’s, if you will, the condition of one suffering from an incurable malady, or faced with the heart-breaking prospect of impending death to a loved one.

Have you ever felt yourself spiritually devastated by an inconsolable grief?

May I take you to a sacred scene portraying one whose all seemed slipping from her grasp and let you feel her strength in a fateful hour! Huddled at the foot of the cross was the silent figure of a beautiful middle-aged mother with shawl drawn tightly about her head and shoulders. Cruelly tormented on the cross above her was her firstborn son.

One can but feebly understand the intensity of the suffering of Mary's mother-heart. She now faced in reality the import of old Simeon's doleful prediction as he had blessed this son as a tiny infant child, "He shall be as a sign for to be spoken against; Yea, a sword shall pierce thine own heart also" (Luke 2:34-35) What was it that sustained her during her tragic ordeal? She knew the reality of an existence beyond this mortal life. Had she not conversed with an angel, a messenger of God? She undoubtedly had heard of her son's last recorded prayer before His betrayal as it has been written

by John: "And now, O Father," he had prayed, "Glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was" (John 17:5) This sainted mother with bowed head heard His last prayer murmured from the cross through tortured lips: "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit" (Luke 23:46) thus inspiring her with resignation and a testimony of reassurance of a reunion shortly with Him and with God her Heavenly Father. Heaven is not far removed from him who, in deep sorrow, looks confidently forward to a glorious day of resurrection. It was a wise man who said: "We cannot banish dangers, but we can banish fears. We must not demean life by standing in awe of death." (Sarnoff) Now to mention another of the "inevitables": As the press, the radio and television brings to you daily the frightening prospect of devastating war with atomic or hydrogen bombs and guided missiles, are you filled with forebodings of impending doom? What is there to set your soul free from such terrifying anxieties?

May I take you to the example of Peter whose loyalty to the Master seemed to have exceeded his courage, when in the face of physical hazard, he denied the Master thrice on the night of the betrayal (Matt. 26:69-75) Compare this fear-torn Peter with the boldness in him manifested shortly thereafter before those same religious bigots who had so recently demanded the death of Jesus (Acts 3:12-26) He denounced them as murderers and called them to repentance—suffered imprisonment, and later went fearlessly to his own martyrdom.

52 What was it that had changed him? He had been a personal witness to the change which came to the broken, pain-racked, body taken from the cross, to a glorified resurrected body which could pass thereafter unhindered through walls of mortar and stone, which could eat broiled fish and honey comb; which could appear and disappear suddenly from the sight of mortals.

The plain and simple answer is, that Peter was a changed man because he knew the power of the risen Lord. No more would he be alone on the shores of Galilee, or in prison, or in death. His Lord would be near him.

And now still another "inevitables" among us:

of

the

all-too-often

In the writings of Luke, just an inference is made as to what may have been thought to be the reason for mental and spiritual turmoil and which may have been as much in evidence then as it is among us today in those who have advanced degrees in their higher learning in secular fields but have neglected spiritual nourishment. Such a one, no doubt, was Saul of Tarsus, the Apostle Paul to the Gentiles. During his interview and defense before King Agrippa, Festus who was present, "Said with a loud voice, Paul thou art beside thyself; much learning hath made thee mad" (Acts 26:24) Indeed, it may have seemed so to those who had known of his zealous persecution of the followers of the Master, in contrast to his now declared allegiance, to that Jesus he had before so loudly denounced.

The insinuation of Festus suggests what higher education could do to a frustrated man, with but a smattering of unrelated bits of information with no unifying philosophy. Psychologists today tell us that one such, without a belief in either God or the Devil, "like a blocked body of water turns back upon itself, collecting scum, refuse, and silt, so the soul turns back upon itself and collects instinctive, dark forebodings," (Peace of Soul) which makes of his days and nights torture-chambers of discontent.

Years later, Paul explained to his beloved Timothy the simple formula which makes for a contented soul:

"Godliness with contentment is great gain" (1 Tim. 6:6) and then explains the source from which that essential "godliness" comes, "But godliness" he said, "is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come" (1 Tim. 4:8) That promise of eternal life had given meaning and purpose to the life of Paul as it does to all of us who so believe. He had heard the Master's voice at the time of his conversion, declaring the reality of the Resurrected Lord, and whose teachings by his authorized servants, Paul now knew were the "power of God unto salvation" (Rom. 1:16) As the challenge of dictator nations is before us with their advances in destructive military science, it is a challenge, of course, for us to be strong in military science. We must beware, however, lest our much learning in these worldly matters likewise makes us mad. It is also a challenge for us to be holy through faith in that Divine Redeemer by whom all who obediently serve Him might be saved. Atomic power and guided missiles are dangers only when they are in the hands of evil men.

And now, finally, may I make one further reference to another "inevitable" with which many are confronted: Have you never stood seemingly defeated after years of grueling struggle and faced with the prospect of programs, or principles, or policies, dear to your heart, ruthlessly condemned to failure? Why do some men commit suicide when their bank fails, or their earthly possessions are swept away? Why do some rise above the heartbreak of disaster and calamity while others go down to inglorious and pitiful despondency of bitterness as though the struggle of life had all been wasted? These and others are sobering questions.

I am indebted to one of the leading educators in our own state university to impress this problem.

After noting the great interest in industrial, governmental, and university circles in clinical psychology or in what he called behavioral science, he summarizes the thinking of eminent authorities with this significant statement: "This interest derives not only from the trend cited above, but because of the tremendous social conflicts, such as war, which demonstrate behavioral breakdown." (Dr. G. Homer Durham)

53 This final illustration may suggest a solution to such as these and other similar frustrating problems.

The prophet Joseph Smith in this modern day was facing martyrdom at the hands of enemies for saying that he had seen visions in which God the Father and His Son (JS—H 1:17-19) and others who had lived upon the earth had appeared to him as living, resurrected, glorified beings. Like the Apostle Paul, he dared not deny having had these heavenly manifestations lest by so doing he would offend God and come under condemnation (JS—H 1:24-25) In the midst of bitter persecution with his coming doom already foreshadowed, the word of the Lord came to him: "if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience and shall be for thy good. The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than He? Therefore, hold thy way . . . for the bounds (of your enemies) are set, they cannot pass . . . Fear not what men can do, for God shall be with you forever and forever" (D&C 122:7-9) "Let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God . . . and thy dominion shall be an everlasting dominion" (D&C 121:45-46) There you have your answer, strong, noble statesmen in worldly councils of men involving human welfare.

Better, as Paul said it, "godliness with contentment" (1 Tim. 6:6) than an empty compromise for the sake of expediency or the plaudits of men. You, too, can know that your Redeemer lives (Job 19:25) as did Job in the midst of his temptation to "curse God and die" (Job 2:9) and know also that you, too, can open the door and invite Him in "to sup with you" (Rev. 3:20) See also yourselves one day as resurrected beings claiming kinship to Him who gave His life that the rewards to mortal men for earthly struggle and experience will be the fruits of eternal life even though as measured by human standards one’s life's labors seemed to have been defeated.

This is what the voice of wisdom has said, "The best thoughts, affections, and aspirations of a great soul are fixed on the infinitude of eternity.

Destined as such a soul is for immortality, it finds all that is not eternal too short, all that is not infinite too small." (Stanford Memorial Chapel.)

Today in commemoration of the world's greatest victory I invite the honest in heart everywhere in deep humility to rise above their human fears and frustrations and rejoice as did the apostle to the Gentiles "Thanks be to God which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Cor. 15:57) All of which I pray for us and for all men everywhere who seek to serve Him and keep His commandments.

REACH FOR JOY 54

1982

Part of our precious legacy—to be remembered and renewed—is that though deepening trials throng our way, we know that our afflictions can be consecrated to our good.

Good can come from trouble. Trauma can enliven the heart and enrich the soul. Clouds do have silver linings, and the leaf will burst again on the dry branch.

“Weeping may endure for [the] night,” sang the psalmist, “but joy cometh in the morning.” (Ps. 30:5) My dear sisters, the daily work of the Lord involves changing hopeless to hopeful—for all of us. And it is for us to find at last that in the midst of winter we have within us an invincible summer. In a world filled with adversity we can reach for joy.

My heart responds to you—to you who are young women, so beautiful and so refreshing; to you wise and wonderful ones who have lived a little longer and suffered some; to you with many dreams and to you whose dreams have been dashed; and to some of you who have given way for a time to the tempting’s that are unleashed upon all of us in these latter days; and to you stricken ill; and to all whose faith has faltered and whose tears have washed the cheeks of your baby or dampened the pillow at night.

Photo Credit Ronak Valobobhai

by Elaine Cannon

To all of you, I express my love and my compassion, and I give you my blessed witness that our Heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus Christ live and sustain us and that the Comforter witnesses within us—even now—that our personal joy can be full.

But first the testing—the bitter so that we can appreciate the sweet. First the trial—and then the witness of our faith. (Ether 12:6) It is our understanding that in the world before this one we all heard the plan of life presented by the gods. We had our agency—and each of us voted to come down to earth to be proven herewith. To me that means something like: “I will go down and I will take up my life no matter what comes. I will go down and suffer a learning disability or watch the man I love marry someone else; or I will endure a frustrating relationship; or I’ll take up my life as the only Latter-day Saint in my high school or the only Latter-day Saint in my family; or I’ll live my life working hard all my years without apparent success. But I will go down to earth to be proven and to learn.” (Abr. 3:25) Trials come in different ways at different stages of life. You’ve no doubt heard about the young girl who complained to her teenage brother about the terrible blows that life had dealt her. And she said, “It just isn’t fair; you got the curly hair and the straight nose.”

Photo Credit Dana Luig

55 And he said, “Well, you got the curly nose and the straight hair!” Brothers are so wonderful.

But whatever life offers, it is to be lived, it is to be learned from. We need to get on with it—and reach for joy.

It is a matter of the lemon and the lemonade, after all. In adversity we can complain bitterly, “Why me? Why now?” and wallow in self-pity, thus denouncing God. Or we can find our way by asking that all-important question: “Which of my Heavenly Father’s principles will help me now?”

And when we find that appropriate principle, the next step is to live that law, “irrevocably decreed” upon which the particular blessing that we need is predicated. (D&C 130:21) God’s plan is a plan of ultimate joy for each of us.

His principles suffice in any situation. But each one of us, young and old, must rise to her challenges in her own way. Each one of us must reach for her own joy.

Let me tell you about some sisters.

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One certainty of life is that each of us will meet some mighty test. This is part of the plan.

Another thing that we can count on is that neither here nor hereafter are we suddenly going to emerge with qualities we haven’t developed or a pattern of living for which we have not prepared ourselves. Adversity is an important part of the preparation for at least three reasons.

One, God knows whom he can trust and who, like Job, will stand firm and love him unconditionally.

Second, adversity well handled can increase our understanding and compassion. And we will be more effective in helping others when we’ve had a few challenges of our own. We just may need to be an answer to somebody else’s prayer.

And third, we draw closer to our Heavenly Father when we are in deep need. Our prayers of thanksgiving and joy of course should be part, and are a part, of our worship, but I guess there isn’t anybody here who won’t admit that we pray more fervently when we’re under the press of problems. Attitude in adversity turns hopeless to hopeful.

For thirty years and more, Sister Louise Lake, who has now passed away, lived alone trapped in a wheelchair. A parade of problems plagued her constantly. But she made it, beautifully prepared to meet our Heavenly Father. And this is how she did it. Each morning over the years she practiced an “exercise in joy”—a kind of fervent blessingcounting session upon awakening. Imagine! An exercise in joy under those circumstances. She didn’t curse God and die. (Job 2:9) She gave thanks and lived—anyway—touching many of us in remarkable ways because of what she had learned about trouble.

Sister LaRue Longden, a former counselor in the General Presidency of the Young Women, was a ward Young Women’s president at the time of the serious illness of her little daughter. She and Brother Longden were kneeling in fervent prayer by the side of their bed when word came that the little girl had passed away. They were heartbroken. But after the funeral all the leaders and the young women held flowers and formed an aisle while she, their president, had to walk past them. And during this time of intense emotion, she suddenly realized that they were watching her.

“I had to live what I’d been teaching,” Sister Longden said.

“I had to be an example of what I really believed.”

So, she lifted her chin and smiled her famous smile upon them.

56 A fourteen-year-old girl I know has survived a serious bout with cancer. She knows now that she’ll never be able to bear children. She told me that the theme for the Young Women, which is “The Lord is the strength of my life” (Ps. 27:1) has helped her meet her test, and she is determined to become the very best teacher of children that Heavenly Father ever had. Find the principle, sisters. Live it! Reach for joy.

A special friend of mine was left with the burden of being a single parent, not by her choice. One day she was particularly desperate for help. She was very much in need of comfort and direction.

And yet she felt so alone: her parents were away on a mission, the bishop was busy, her home teacher was out of town. And finally, tear weary, she turned to the scriptures and read the beloved words.

“Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you.” (D&C 88:63) Here she found her answer. She prayed and she was helped. It was wonderful. It worked!

Today we women of all ages can draw upon the powers of heaven. We can seek strength through the priesthood, find solace and direction in our patriarchal blessing, be guided by studying the scriptures.

Life may not always be exactly what we had in mind, but we are not alone. This special promise is recorded in Mosiah: “Lift up your heads and be of good comfort. …

And I will … ease the burdens … upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions.” (Mosiah 24:13-14) Isn’t that beautiful?

I know that our Heavenly Father keeps his promises. I, like you, have been sorely tried in a variety of ways. But this kind of seasoning teaches us that every burden on the back can become a gift in the hand.

This I firmly believe, and I earnestly pray that in time of trial we may stand firm, sisters, in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, that we may stand as witnesses of Christ and of peace in the plan of life. And thus reach our joy.

We love you. We pray for you. We find comfort in your example. And I pray this day that we may help each other make it through our times of trial —and while we reach for our joy—in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

FAITH AND VISIONS 57

April 13, 1856

Moses 5:57 “For they would not hearken unto his voice, nor believe on his Only Begotten Son, even him whom he declared should come in the meridian of time, who was prepared from before the foundation of the world.”

Elder Pratt read the 7th, 8th, and 9th paragraphs of the Book of Ether. (Ether 3:1-20) I have read, from the Book of Ether, a portion of what is written concerning that great and wonderful vision, shown to a man in all respects just like unto ourselves, so far as his nature was concerned, all men being subjected to certain evil influences, through the transgression of our first parents. At the same time, if it had not been for their transgressing the commandments of the Lord, in the garden of Eden, this congregation would not have been here.

Because Adam and Eve transgressed we are here with mortal tabernacles; and these mortal tabernacles are subject to vanity, through the power which the adversary has on account of our organization in the flesh; he has power over the spirit, and to bring us into captivity and bondage, and subject us to the yoke of bondage, (Gal. 5:1) of sin, of the fallen and corrupt nature; but by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who was prepared before the foundation of the world, (Moses 5:57) we have hope of being redeemed from that which is a yoke upon us in the economy of this probation, for mortality was instituted by the Lord to give us an opportunity of proving ourselves.

Our first parents thorough transgressing the law of God, brought death into the world, but through the death of Jesus Christ, life and immortality were introduced. (2 Tim. 1:10) The one brings into bondage; the other gives us hope of escape, of redemption, that we may come forth with the same kind of body that Adam had before the fall, a body of immortal flesh and bones.

by Elder Orson Pratt

Adam and Eve were immortal, the same as resurrected beings, but previous to their transgression they had no knowledge of good and evil.

After the redemption we will not only have the same kind of bodies that they possessed in the garden of Eden before the fall, but we will have a knowledge of good and evil through our experience. For this purpose, we are made partakers, through our agency, of the knowledge of evil in this life, that we all may know how to appreciate good when we are put in possession of it.

Hence in our immortal tabernacles, when brought forth from the grave, we shall have a knowledge of our past experience, a most perfect knowledge.

There will be no imperfection of memory, but we shall remember, as the Prophet tells us in the Book of Mormon, all things that have taken place during our mortal lives; everything that we have thought and done. (Alma 12:14) We shall remember that we have been made free from sin through the ordinances of the Gospel; we shall remember the new birth that we received while in this mortal state, the being cleansed from sin through the blood of Jesus Christ and made new creatures; (2 Cor. 5:17) all those things will be plain and clear before the mind of the immortal man.

There is a great lesson of instruction given in the short history which I have read before you; it shows the privileges pertaining to our religion in some respects, and it shows how much there is to be received, and how much we have not received in mortality.

We also learn from the history we have read, the principle upon which these blessings are to be received, viz., by faith in Jesus Christ. The brother of Jared did not receive these blessings without faith; (Ether 3:9) he exercised faith in the Lord, in the revelations previously received, or which the Prophets had spoken in former days; he exercised faith in the promises given to the fathers.

58 All the circumstances through which they were called to pass, had a tendency to create a great amount of faith in those ancient men of God. It is true that the brother of Jared had been a Prophet for many years; faith had been centered in his heart, and he could lay hold of the promises of God. (Heb. 6:18) (Hel. 3:29) (Morm.

7:8) He was a Revelator at the time the tower of Babel was built; he was a man capable of receiving instructions from heaven; and hence his brother said, at the time the language was confounded, “Enquire of the Lord if He will take us out of the land, and if it please the Lord to let us go by ourselves, let us be faithful, that we and our posterity and nation may be blest.” (Ether 1:38) From these few sayings of Jared, we find that he had the utmost confidence in the revelations of his brother, for he knew him to be a Prophet and a Revelator. While wandering many years in the wilderness, the Lord continued to reveal Himself unto them in the wilderness; He had shown forth to them His glory, had come down and talked in a cloud and shown them many things which were to come to pass, and instructed them to build barges and cross large bodies of water, before they came to the ocean. (Ether 2:14-16) Being taught for many years in the things of the kingdom of God, their minds were somewhat prepared for the journey before them. They were instructed to build eight barges with which to cross the great ocean; (Ether 3:1) and after being fully informed upon those matters, and having finished the barges, the company saw that there was no light in them, and it would have been very difficult to carry fuel such a long distance, in order to have produced light. (Ether 2:22-25) Now reflect upon the faith of this man of God; rather than be tossed upon the bosom of the great deep for many days excluded from the light of sun, moon, and stars, and rather than be under the necessity of taking wood to make fires, without any outlet for smoke, and before he knew how the Lord was going to provide light, he carved out sixteen stones, which, though white and clear like unto glass, gave no light. (Ether 3:1)

He carried those stones into a great mountain, and called upon Him who at the beginning said, “Let there be light and there was light,” (Gen. 1:3) to touch those stones that they might have them for lights upon the bosom of the deep. This would be sufficient if there was not another word written, to convince any person that he was a man of great faith, and that when in difficulty he called upon the Lord, and the Lord hearkened to his voice, and put forth His hand. And because of this man's faith he beheld the finger of the Lord when He touched the stones, (Ether 3:6) and those stones were filled with the principle of imparting light.

This was a miracle to those that beheld it, and why so? Because it was contrary to the general laws with which they were acquainted, though in fact it was no more of a miracle for the Lord to show His finger than to do anything else, or than the falling of a stone to the ground. The same Supreme power that causes the fall of a stone, can cause a stone to give light, and in this instance did perform that operation, and they beheld it, and had constant day until they had crossed the sea. One may enquire, “Brother Pratt, why do you refer to those old historical events, why don't you refer to that which belongs to our everyday duties?”

Because there are those around me here who are better qualified to teach you in relation to your everyday duties; they are able to instruct you from Sabbath to Sabbath and are constantly pouring forth instructions for your edification and benefit.

Brethren, why did the Lord gather us out from the nations of the earth? Why did he not leave us in all the other lands? Why did he call our forebears to leave the comforts of home and the opportunities and blessings of civilization, such as it was, to come way out here into the tops of these everlasting hills, to settle these sterile desert plains, in many cases? Why? He knew what we needed. He knew that his people would have to keep his commandments if they were to endure, and like the time when the crickets came and were about to devour the crops, and starvation stared our people in the face, there were those among them who knew there was a way out. They did not know what it was, but then they began to pray.

They had done everything else to destroy the pests, but when they began to pray there came into the western sky big flocks of seagulls, and they came in and began to devour the crickets.

59 These ideas came into my mind, and are calculated, if properly understood, to be used as examples for our good; they are written for our edification and that of our children. (2 Ne. 4:15) The heed that we give to the everyday duties which are pointed out to us, will determine in a great measure our reward. It may be asked, “Do you think that it is really our privilege, as the children of God in this dispensation, to attain to the same blessings which were received by those ancient people of God?” Yes, and far greater; for you will find in this same history, in a part which I have not read, that a portion of the same things should be given to the Latter-day Saints through their faith. The Lord says, “Then will I show the great and marvelous things of my kingdom unto them, as I did to him.” (Ether 4:7) But it all depends, recollect, upon the great principle of faith, and you are to obtain these things upon condition of practicing those everyday duties which you are hearing proclaimed from day to day. With such wisdom, and by continuing steadfast therein, your faith will increase in those great and heavenly principles, until you can lay hold by faith upon all the great and marvelous things that were communicated to him. (Moro. 7:21,25) What were communicated to him besides what I have read? It may not be amiss to read a few more words, for I fear that we are too careless in relation to those things which pertain to our welfare, which, with the various duties and cares of life, make us careless in listening to the Living Oracles. It is my belief that if this people more carefully read the oracles of the ancients, they would be directed more diligently to attend to the Living Oracles.

We are commanded to search the Scriptures for instructions, (John 5:39) but I fear that we neglect this counsel too much and become careless. In consequence of such neglect, the Lord reproved this Church some years ago, and said that the whole Church was under condemnation, because they had neglected the Book of Mormon; and He told them that unless they would repent, they should be held under condemnation, (D&C 84:57) and should be scourged, and judgments should be poured out upon them.

If you would read these things in the Spirit and call upon God to give you His Spirit to fix the sayings of the Prophets upon your minds, you would do good and derive benefit therefrom. If the Saints will give most earnest and diligent heed unto the instructions given in those books (D&C 84:43) which have been preserved, and especially to the instructions which are given by our President, they will prosper and be blest in all things.

I will again read, “And because of the knowledge of this man he could not be kept from beholding within the veil.”

(Ether 3:19) Says one, “That is a curious saying; I thought the Lord could do whatever He pleased.”

This was because the Lord had given His word that He would do according to the faith of the Saints—righteous sons and daughters of Adam— hence He could not restrain the brother of Jared from looking within the veil.

When there is sufficient faith in the hearts of the children of men, it is impossible to withhold blessings from them, if that faith is exercised, for if the Lord should do so, He would forfeit His own word, and we read that it is impossible for God to lie. (Heb. 6:18) I will now read as follows: “And it came to pass that the Lord said unto the brother of Jared: Behold, thou shalt not suffer these things which ye have seen and heard to go forth unto the world, until the time cometh that I shall glorify my name in the flesh; wherefore, ye shall treasure up the things which ye have seen and heard and show it to no man. And behold, when ye shall come unto me, ye shall write them and shall seal them up, that no one can interpret them; for ye shall write them in a language that they cannot be read. And behold, these two stones will I give unto thee, and ye shall seal them up also, with the things which ye shall write. For behold, the language which ye shall write, I have confounded; wherefore I will cause in my own due time that these stones shall magnify to the eyes of men these things which ye shall write.” (Ether 3:21-24)

60 Now notice the words of Moroni, upwards of 400 years after Christ: “And when the Lord had said these words, the Lord showed unto the brother of Jared all the inhabitants of the earth which had been, and also all that would be; and withheld them not from his sight, even unto the ends of the earth.

“And it came to pass that the Lord commanded him that he should seal up the two stones which he had received, and show them not, until the Lord should show them unto the children of men.

And the Lord commanded the brother of Jared to go down out of the mount from the presence of the Lord, and write the things which he had seen; and they were forbidden to come unto the children of men, until after that he should be lifted up upon the cross; and for this cause did king Mosiah keep them, that they should not come unto the world until after Christ should show himself unto his people. And after Christ truly had showed himself unto his people, he commanded that they should be made manifest.” (Ether 3:28) (Ether 4:1-2)

These interpreters, the two stones that were given to the brother of Jared, were the two stones that were found with the plates. Again, the Lord says in the next paragraph a portion of which I will read—

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For he had said unto him in times before, that if he would believe in him that he could show unto him all things—it should be shown unto him; therefore, the Lord could not withhold anything from him, for he knew that the Lord could show him all things. And the Lord said unto him: Write these things and seal them up; and I will show them in mine own due time unto the children of men.” (Ether 3:25-27) You recollect that when the Book of Mormon was translated from the plates, about two-thirds were sealed up, and Joseph was commanded not to break the seal; that part of the record was hid up. The plates which were sealed contained an account of those great things shown unto the brother of Jared; and we are told that all those things are preserved to come forth in the due time of the Lord. The 11th paragraph informs us respecting the interpreters. I will read it—

“Come unto me, O ye Gentiles, and I will show unto you the greater things, the knowledge which is hid up because of unbelief.

Come unto me, O ye house of Israel, and it shall be made manifest unto you how great things the Father hath laid up for you, from the foundation of the world; and it hath not come unto you, because of unbelief.

Behold, when ye shall rend that veil of unbelief which doth cause you to remain in your awful state of wickedness, and hardness of heart, and blindness of mind, then shall the great and marvelous things which have been hid up from the foundation of the world from you—yea, when ye shall call upon the Father in my name, with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, then shall ye know that the Father hath remembered the covenant which he made unto your fathers, O house of Israel.

And then shall my revelations which I have caused to be written by my servant John be unfolded in the eyes of all the people.

61 Remember, when ye see these things, ye shall know that the time is at hand that they shall be made manifest in very deed. Therefore, when ye shall receive this record, ye may know that the work of the Father has commenced upon all the face of the land.

Therefore, repent all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me, and believe in my gospel, and be baptized in my name; for he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned; and signs shall follow them that believe in my name.

And blessed is he that is found faithful unto my name at the last day, for he shall be lifted up to dwell in the kingdom prepared for him from the foundation of the world. And behold it is I that hath spoken it. Amen.” (Ether 4:13-19)

I have felt disposed to read these paragraphs, for I highly esteem the Book of Mormon, as I presume do all the Latter-day Saints. But many lay it upon the shelf and let it remain there for a year or two, consequently they become careless concerning the dealings of the Lord with the Former-day Saints.

You are not to suppose that you are going to be jumped into the midst of revelations, and by one great and grand step are to burst the veil, and to rend it from your eyes, do you think that you are to step into the celestial kingdom and see it all at once?

No, these blessings are by far too precious to be attained in such a way; they are to be attained by diligence and faith from day to day, and from night to night. Hence you are to become habituated to do good in your thoughts and conduct, in all that you do, until you become perfectly initiated into the great principles of righteousness, and continue to live uprightly until it becomes a kind of second nature to be honest, to be prudent, to govern all your passions, and bring all of the influences of the flesh, of the fallen nature, into the most perfect subjection to the law of God.

I know that it is necessary for you to keep the commandments of the Lord, and not only to keep those found in the written revelations, but to strictly observe all the words of wisdom, counsel, and advice that He has given through His Spirit and His servants. And when you have given diligent heed to counsel, it becomes a second nature to pay the strictest attention to the covenants made and the counsel given by the Living Oracles of God. These principles are not to be learned by one or two days', or one-or-two months' humility and obedience, for that would be like a child's going to school a week and being kept six weeks at home, where there is no one to instruct him. It is obvious that a person keeps retrograding, if he does not progress; you are called upon to increase and progress in knowledge and truth until they influence all your actions and doings, until your conduct is rightly influenced, not only in relation to your neighbors, but in relation to all that belongs to your neighbors. When you have learned righteous principles be careful that they never escape your minds, and that your conduct never severs you from them. This is the time, and this is the day that your faith should lay hold of this great and good Spirit, and that you should strive for the rich blessings of heaven, concerning which I have read in your hearing this morning.

Latter-day Saints, are not these things worthy of living for? Suppose that you could have the privilege, by living only one week in strict obedience to all the laws of the kingdom, to have these blessings; I verily believe that there are not many Latter-day Saints, but who, if they knew that they could enjoy all the blessings of the ancients and have the visions of the heavens laid open to their minds, so that they could have before them the past, the present, and the future, so that they could understand the things of God, would live very faithful, and be of one heart and of one mind. (Moses 7:18)

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62 Would not everyone who heard such promises try to obtain the prize, to enjoy the blessings promised?

The counsels and instructions of those whom God has appointed would be fresh before them every moment; when they arose in the morning it would be the first thing they would think of, and it would be the last thing at night. They would be able to do twice as much labor as when their minds are not upon the things of God. Their minds would be so entirely swallowed up that they would feel like Alma and others, while among the priests of king Noah, when they had burdens upon their backs; their burdens were made light so that they were able to bear them cheerfully, (Mosiah 24:15) and so it would be with the Latter-day Saints.

Let them have that Spirit one week, and they would find their bodies stronger and more active, and they would almost forget whether they had been to their breakfast, dinner, or supper, their minds would be so completely swallowed up with heavenly things, and everything would prosper.

You are to claim blessings by your conduct, you are so instructed; some are apt to be so neglectful and remiss in their duties that they are not able to claim them. They forget what is in store for them, and do not pray for the Spirit to impress those blessings upon their minds but suffer their minds to be drawn out too much upon temporal business instead of the things of God, and become weary in mind and body, so that they feel like neglecting the more prominent duties, such as family prayer and many others.

The Elders abroad are called upon to labor diligently, and many times to sit up almost all night to teach the pure principles of eternal life, and when they lie down, they rest perfectly calm as though they were not weary, and arise invigorated with faith, intelligence, and power; their minds and bodies are strengthened by the power of God. So, it would be with you, if you were sent on a mission, as well as with those who now go to preach the Gospel of salvation for the gathering of the honest in heart.

The Elders go forth in faith and with prayer for the gathering of Israel; to bring them to Zion, to plant vineyards, to build houses, to help build up the cities of Zion, and beautify the earth.

You are all on a mission to make yourselves of one heart and of one mind (Moses 7:18) before the Lord, and if you are faithful you can claim the promises that He will pour out His Spirit upon you, and that Spirit will be poured out upon those who are faithful from morning until evening, and they will be quickened and invigorated to perform whatever is necessary.

If you come to this house with your minds upon the things of this world, and hear the servants of God speak upon the great things of the kingdom, their words will go in at one ear and out at the other, your minds will be darkened, the devil will step in and tempt you, and you are liable to be prostrated in body and mind by his power, because you have given way.

This is because they do not enjoy sufficient of the Spirit of the Lord, for it is able to strengthen every one of you. Look at the promises made to the missionaries, “He that shall go forth to preach the Gospel without purse or scrip shall not be weary, nor darkened in spirit nor in body.” (D&C 84:80)

While we are here there is a chance for every Latter-day Saint, and I feel to say, set yourselves in order, ye heads of families, and then set your families in order; regulate your lives one towards another in your families, in your neighborhoods, and in all your communications and dealings one with another.

What is it that strengthens them so that they do not become weary in body and in mind?

In this way the enemy will not have power over you, and all your works of light and righteousness will be regulated by the principles which you have received, and by the order which should govern the Saints of God; showing that you are sick of your old traditions, confusion, and discord, and that you are contending for the faith once delivered to the Saints,

63 (Jude 1:3) believing that the same blessings which they enjoyed may be poured out upon your heads.

Perhaps, before I again return to behold the Saints in these valleys, a great temple may be reared upon this Block, upon the foundation already laid. Before that time, perhaps, the services of the Lord may be administered therein, with baptism for the dead, as the Lord has promised, and other sacred and holy ordinances pertaining to the last dispensation; ordinances that have been kept sacred from the foundation of the world, things kept, to be revealed in this last dispensation.

If the time is so near at hand when a temple shall be completed for these sacred and holy purposes, there is none too much time for you to prepare yourselves in the holy course of righteousness.

You cannot expect to live as many have lived, and then be able by one tremendous great effort to at once call down the powers of heaven into your midst. All, who will enjoy the privileges which it is the prerogative of the Latter-day Saints to enjoy, must live for them.

Why not Saints have these blessings?

Is it because God is partial, and willing to bestow greater blessings upon some than upon others?

No, it is because you do not sufficiently prepare yourselves before Him, for you have to become sanctified; hence it is said in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, speaking of the Temple which shall be built in Jackson County, “That those that enter therein shalt behold the face of God.” (D&C 97:16) The promise was not made to the impure, to those who had not sanctified themselves before the Lord, but to the pure in heart. (Matt. 5:8) It naturally follows that similar blessings are prepared to be poured out by the Most High upon the Temple that shall be built upon this Block, and upon the people who shall go therein.

How many of this congregation would be Photo Credit prepared to receive such blessings?

The Lord might say to the angels, such and such ones have been faithful to all the calls that have been made upon them; they have not turned to one side; they have not given way to their passions; they have not neglected the counsels of my servants; they have exercised faith in me and have lived to it and by it; and now do you messengers go forth and show yourselves unto them in that Temple, that their eyes may be opened, that they may become as the brother of Jared—to see and taste the joys of the other world.

But let the eyes of those who have not been diligent be dark, let them not have sufficient faith to behold your or my glory, let the veil that is over the nations remain between them and my glory. I will venture to say that there are at present comparatively few that would be prepared to receive the great blessings which are in store. I feel anxious upon this point, my brethren and sisters, not only for your sakes but for my own.

When you shall rend the veil that is between you and the heavens, it will be by your works of faith and obedience.

Do you realize that you are the individuals to rend that veil?

Jesus has done his part, and he is willing that the veil should be rent; he has made intercession before the Father; (Rom. 8:34) he has offered his own life, and what more can he do?

When you shall have faith to rend that veil which is over your minds, you will find that the heavens are ready and waiting to bestow the blessings promised, just as soon as you are prepared to receive them.

Here let us reflect a little upon the principle by which the brother of Jared was capable of seeing things that are behind the veil, and by which Moses saw every particle of this earth, (Moses 1:27) inside as well as outside. How did they see these things?

John Fowler on Unsplash

64 The revelation says, “By the Spirit of God.” If Moses had the Spirit so that he could discern all things in the earth, while he was quite a finite being like the rest of us, why should not we have that same gift imparted unto us?

The brother of Jared was so filled with the Spirit that he was enabled to behold the person of Jesus Christ, and all the inhabitants of the earth that had lived previous to his day, as well as those who should live afterwards. (Ether 3:25) They rent the veil between them and the heavens by their faith and obedience to the commandments of the Lord; they saw the history of past events from the beginning of the world, and all the inhabitants that ever had been.

There is such a thing as a natural man's looking into the past, but their power is very much restricted. Lord Ross constructed a very powerful telescope, having an object glass six feet in diameter, and by it a man can see a vast distance into space, and behold what existed ages ago. With this mighty instrument it has been determined that other worlds exist hundreds of thousands of millions of miles distant from us, and that the light from them which reaches the eye through the telescope must have been traveling several hundred thousand years before it reached the eye, hundreds of thousands of years before Adam was placed in the garden of Eden.

Hundreds of thousands of years ago the distant bodies of the universe were lighted up by the glory of God, and the light thereof has at last entered the tremendous telescope of Lord Ross, and thus individuals have been enabled to see— what? Not those bodies as they exist at the present time, but to see them as they existed tens and scores of thousands of years before this world was made.

Here, then, is looking at the past, and that naturally, independent of the mind's being waked up by the power of God, as were the minds of the brother of Jared and Moses.

Again, this glorious and heavenly principle, with which a righteous man is endowed, reaches forward into the future for thousands of years to come, as far as the Great God will permit the sceneries of ages to be opened to mortals. It is not the fault of our organization that we do not enjoy this principle, but because we do not entirely get rid of those erroneous traditions which we have received from our fathers.

The faith of the Gospel is what is required to lead us on until we burst the veil asunder; for this faith will enable us to burst off the shackles by which we are bound, and prepare us to enjoy the holy Priesthood, with all the blessings guaranteed to the Saints of God, and to gaze into the hidden things of eternity.

Reflect upon past experience and upon the workings of the Spirit of God, and you will discover that you have often been forewarned of events long before they took place; and if you cast your minds into the book of the Spirit of God, and behold the acts and doings of the Lord in ages to come, you will find that the same principle that exists in the bosoms of the Gods is with you, though in a very undeveloped condition. Let your minds be set upon the will of God and upon His kingdom, and what will be withheld from your sight?

There are many principles contained in the words which I have just read. Jesus, for instance, stood before the brother of Jared, not in his body of flesh and bones, not as an infant, not as a small spirit one foot or two feet high, but a fullgrown spirit; and when the brother of Jared beheld the finger of Christ he beheld a full-sized finger as of a man, for says Jesus, “When I shall take a body of flesh and bones and redeem my people I will appear as thou now seest me, but this is the body of my spirit; I show myself in the spirit, you behold it, you see that it is of the size of a man.” (Ether 3:6,16)

“All men in the beginning have I created after the body of my spirit,” as much as to say that “you, the brother of Jared, did not receive your Photo Credit - existence a few years ago here in the flesh, that John Fowler on Unsplash was not your origin, but all men, all those that I will show you that have existed or will exist upon this earth, in the beginning have I created after the image of the body of my spirit.” (Ether 3:1517) They were all spiritually organized before they came here.

65 This is the only place in the Book of Mormon where pre-existence is clearly spoken of, and this was revealed before the organization of this Church, and is a doctrine which was not in the possession of the Christian world, hence it shows that it was dictated by a Spirit capable of revealing a doctrine unknown to the Christian world—the pre-existence of man.

A mere vision would not have strengthened him, and even to show him the glory of God in part would not have enabled him to combat with the powers of darkness that then came to him. It was by his knowledge of God, by his perseverance, his diligence and obedience in former years, that he was enabled to rebuke the devil, in the name of Jesus Christ, and drive him from him.

There is much doctrine in the Book of Mormon and Book of Doctrine and Covenants that would be instructive to the Saints, if they would not let them stay upon their shelves. Knowledge of truth would not harm you, though it may be better for some to let their books remain shut, rather than to transgress against greater light, for then greater would be their damnation and punishment. In proportion as we advance in the knowledge of the things revealed from the heavens, and in the powers and keys that are conferred upon us, the greater will be the condemnation, if we fall therefrom. This shows the propriety of every man and woman's habituating themselves, as I have already said, to righteousness.

So it will be with you, whether you have the necessary preparation or not, for the Lord will say to the powers of darkness, you are now at liberty to tempt my servants in proportion to the light that I have given. Go and see if they will be steadfast to that light; use every plan so far as I permit you, and if they will yield, they are not worthy of me nor of my kingdom, and I will deliver them up and they shall be buffeted. You, Satan, shall buffet and torment them, until they shall learn obedience by the things that they suffer.

(Heb. 5:8) (D&C 105:6)

If you were, within one week from this time, to be let into all the visions that the brother of Jared had, what a weight of responsibility you would have upon you; how weak you would be, and how unprepared for the responsibility; and after the vision had closed up in your minds, and you left to yourselves, you would be tempted in proportion to the light that had been presented before you. Then would come the trial, such as you never have had. This is the principle upon which the devil is allowed to try us. We have a circumstance in relation to Moses' being tempted; when the vision withdrew, and the heavens closed, the devil presented himself and said, “Moses, son of man, worship me.” Moses replied, “Who are you?” “I am the son of God,” was the answer. Then said Moses, “You call me son of man and say that you are the son of God, but where is your glory?” (Moses 1:1222)

Hence the propriety of preparing for these things, that when they come you will know how to conquer Satan, and not want for experience to overcome, but be like Michael, the archangel, who, with all the knowledge and glory that he had gained through thousands of years of experience, durst not bring a railing accusation, (2 Pet. 2:11) (Jude 1:9) because he knew better. And when Moses withstood Satan face to face, he knew who he was and what he had come for. He had obtained his knowledge by past trials, by a long series of preparation; hence he triumphed.

So it must be with Latter-day Saints, and if we prepare ourselves, we shall conquer. We must come in contact with every foe, and those who give way will be overcome.

Here let us reflect a little upon the principle by which the brother of Jared was capable of seeing things that are behind the veil, and by which Moses saw every particle of this earth, (Moses 1:27) inside as well as outside. How did they see these things?

Could Moses have withstood that terrible Photo Credit John Fowler on Unsplash manifestation, if he had not practiced for many years the principles of righteousness?

66 If we are to conquer the enemy of truth his power must be made manifest, and the power which will be given of the Lord through faithfulness must be in our possession.

Do you wish to prevail—to conquer the powers of darkness when they present themselves?

If you do, prepare yourselves against the day when these powers shall be made manifest with more energy than is now exhibited. Then you can say, the evil powers that have been made manifest, the agents that came and tempted me, came with all their force, I met them face to face and conquered by the word of my testimony, by patience, by the keys which have been bestowed upon me, and which I held sacred before God, and I have triumphed over the adversary and over all his associates.

Brethren, pray for me, that I may accomplish the mission that has been given to me acceptably in the sight of the Lord, acceptably to these my brethren that are presiding over me, acceptably to the nations, to the Saints here in Great Salt Lake Valley, that I may be one of the Saints that shall be perfected in righteousness, in longsuffering, in patience, in humility, and return in joy and peace to rejoice again in your midst.

I ask the Lord to bless us, one and all, with his Holy Spirit, and to guide us in the way of life.

Amen.

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FROM THE BEGINNING 67

October 1993

Teaching about history’s major apostasies has long been one of the restored gospel’s “givens,” but it is not always given much attention. My aim, therefore, is internal instruction, not external persuasion, since we fully understand that certain of our beliefs are not shared by others and vice versa. But goodwill can still prevail.

In fact, with you, brothers and sisters, I rejoice in the good works and the voices of faith of many in other religions. For instance, recent papal pronouncements on chastity are both appropriate and courageous, and I applaud them. So many honorable individuals in the world do so much without what we, as members, call gospel fulness, while some of us, unfortunately, do so little with so much!

We believe Adam and Eve were this planet’s first humans and first Christians.

“And thus, the Gospel began to be preached, from the beginning, being declared by holy angels sent forth from the presence of God, and by his own voice, and by the gift of the Holy Ghost.

“And thus, all things were confirmed unto Adam, by an holy ordinance” (Moses 5:58–59; emphasis added).

Photo Credit Matt Collamer

by Elder Neal A. Maxwell

Hence, brothers and sisters, a particular pattern of divine instruction followed, early on, just as occurred in the later Restoration.

“Therefore [God] sent angels to converse with them, who caused men to behold of his glory.

“And they began from that time forth to call on his name; therefore, God conversed with men, and made known unto them the plan of redemption” (Alma 12:29–30; see also Moses 5:58–59).

However, this initial fulness was soon lost. Resulting fragmentation, diffusion, and distortion contributed to a wide variety of world religions—Christian and non-Christian.

President Joseph F. Smith observed that amid this diffusion certain laws and rites were “carried by the posterity of Adam into all lands, and continued with them, more or less pure, to the flood, and through Noah, … to those who succeeded him, spreading out into all nations and countries. …

What wonder, then, that we should find relics of Christianity, so to speak, among … nations who know not Christ, and whose histories date back … beyond the flood, independent of and apart from the records of the Bible” (in Journal of Discourses, 15:325; see also Alma 29:8).

Photo Credit Erika Giraud

68 Earlier fulness was followed by periodic “famine[s]” of “hearing the words of the Lord” (Amos 8:11). Ancient Israel’s fallings away were cited by Jehovah, including their changing ordinances, breaking covenants, and rebellion (see Isa. 24:5; Ezek. 2:3).

A major falling away occurred after the deaths of the Apostles, “the sowers of the seed” (D&C 86:2; see also Jude 1:17; Mosiah 26:1).

New Testament epistles clearly indicate that serious and widespread apostasy—not just sporadic dissent—began soon. James decried “wars and fightings among” the Church (James 4:1). Paul lamented “divisions” in the Church and how “grievous wolves” would not spare “the flock” (1 Cor. 11:18; Acts 20:29–31). He knew an apostasy was coming and wrote to the Thessalonians that Jesus’ second coming would not occur “except there come a falling away first,” further advising that “iniquity doth already work” (2 Thes. 2:3, 7).

Near the end, Paul acknowledged how very extensive the falling away was: “All they which are in Asia be turned away from me” (2 Tim. 1:15).

Paul was even wrongly accused of teaching “Let us do evil, that good may come” (Rom. 3:8).

Slandering Paul may have reflected some Nicolaitan nonsense by suggesting that since God provides a way for us to be saved from our sins, we should sin in order to allow Him to do that great good! No wonder the Lord in the book of Revelation denounced the pernicious doctrines and deeds of the Nicolaitans (see Rev. 2:6, 15; LDS Bible Dictionary, “Nicolaitans”).

Widespread fornication and idolatry brought apostolic alarm (see 1 Cor. 5:9; Eph. 5:3; Jude 1:7).

John and Paul both bemoaned the rise of false Apostles (see 2 Cor. 11:13; Rev. 2:2). The Church was clearly under siege. Some not only fell away but then openly opposed. In one circumstance, Paul stood alone and lamented that “all men forsook me” (2 Tim. 4:16). He also decried those who “subvert[ed] whole houses” (Titus 1:11).

Some local leaders rebelled, as when one, who loved his preeminence, refused to receive the brethren (see 3 Jn. 1:9–10).

No wonder President Brigham Young observed: “It is said the Priesthood was taken from the Church, but it is not so, the Church went from the Priesthood” (in Journal of Discourses, 12:69).

The concerns expressed by Peter, John, Paul, and James over the falling away were not paranoia but prophetic warnings about “Apostasia.”

Another force was at work too: the cultural Hellenizing of Christianity. Wrote Will Durant in The Story of Civilization, “The Greek language, having reigned for centuries over philosophy, became the vehicle of Christian literature and ritual” (part 3, Caesar and Christ, New York: Simon and Schuster, 1944, p. 595). The errant grooves earlier used in defining deity were already there and were so easy to slide into (see Robert M. Grant, Gods and the One God, Philadelphia: Westminster Press, pp. 75–81, 152– 58).

Another scholar concluded: “It was impossible for Greeks, … with an education which penetrated their whole nature, to receive or to retain Christianity in its primitive simplicity” (Edwin Hatch, The Influence of Greek Ideas on Christianity, Gloucester, Mass: Peter Smith, reprinted 1970, p. 49).

Paul’s experience in Athens showed the mind-set of Greek philosophy (see Acts 17). His intellectually curious audience asked about “this new doctrine, … for thou bringest … strange things to our ears” (Acts 17:19–20). Then when Paul spoke of the living God and the Resurrection, he was “mocked” (Acts 17:32) for seeming to set “forth … strange gods” (Acts 17:18; see also Acts 17:29).

Some defined matter as intrinsically evil, an idea representing both Greek and Oriental thought (see E. R. Dodds, Pagan and Christian in an Age of Anxiety, New York: W. W. Norton and Co., 1965, p.

14). Hence, if the body constitutes a “dark jail” from which we should seek to escape, why desire a resurrection? (see ibid., p. 30, note 1). This view contrasts so sharply with modern revelation, which declares that only when the resurrected body and the individual spirit are inseparably connected can there be a “fulness of joy” (D&C 93:33; see also D&C 88:15–16; D&C 138:17).

69 Besides, God used matter to create this earth so it could “be inhabited,” after which He “saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good”—not evil! (Isa. 45:18; Gen. 1:31).

Furthermore, some questioned worshipping a God who suffers. One modern scholar observed that “the human sufferings of Jesus … were felt as an embarrassment in the face of pagan criticism” (Dodds, p. 119). Thus, many Greeks considered Christ and what He stood for as “foolishness” (1 Cor. 1:23).

Many fell away from the gospel and its “plain and precious” truths (1 Ne. 13:40). It was too simple.

They preferred “looking beyond the mark” and searching for things “they could not understand” (Jacob 4:14).

The Apostle John denounced anti-Christs who taught that Jesus hadn’t really come “in the flesh” (1 Jn. 4:3), implying that Jesus’ bodily appearance was an illusion designed to accommodate mortal incapacities (see John 1:1– 3, 14).

Another hellenistic form of “looking beyond the mark” was interpreting clear, historical events as allegorical. These early denials of Jesus’ historicity are replicated in our day.

Reason, the Greek philosophical tradition, dominated, then supplanted, reliance on revelation, an outcome probably hastened by well-intentioned Christians wishing to bring their beliefs into the mainstream of contemporary culture.

Historian Will Durant also wrote: “Christianity did not destroy paganism; it adopted it. The Greek mind, dying, came to a transmigrated life” (Caesar and Christ, p. 595).

Unfortunately, too many Church members, in Paul’s phrase, wearied and fainted “in [their] minds” (Heb. 12:3).

By the middle of the second century, things had changed dramatically. Another scholar wrote of how the theological furniture had been significantly rearranged in ways which reflected a hellenized Christianity (see Stephen Robinson, Ensign, Jan. 1988, p. 39).

Peter, who witnessed firsthand what was happening, spoke hopefully of a distant day, the long-awaited “times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began” (Acts 3:21).

Restitution means restoration.

Paul, too, wrote of the “dispensation of the fulness of times” (Rom. 11:25; Eph. 1:10), a particular time of times, which would “gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth” (Eph. 1:10; see also Rom. 11:25). Everything would be restored, including the fulness which was with Adam in the beginning (see D&C 128:21; Abr. 1:3). However, there would never again be a collective falling away, only individual apostasy (see Dan. 2:44; D&C 65:2).

The glorious things restored in the nineteenth century included the calling of a prophet, Joseph Smith, who heard God’s own voice, received angelic revelations and also the holy apostleship and priesthood keys. He also received additional scripture, which commenced a continuing canon and included a restored fulness concerning the nature of God, the Father, and Christ, the Son, and the Atonement. After all, first things first! The Savior, Himself, declared, “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent” (John 17:3).

Instructed by further revelation, Joseph Smith taught, “If men do not comprehend the character of God, they do not comprehend themselves” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel.

Joseph Fielding Smith, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1938, p. 343).

Likewise, brothers and sisters, if we do not comprehend God’s purposes, we will not comprehend the purposes of life! In God’s plan of salvation, He does nothing save it be for the benefit of His children in the world; man is at the center of His purposes (see Mosiah 8:18; D&C 46:26; see also Moses 1:39).

Likewise restored were doctrines, ordinances, and covenants associated with the holy temple.

Revelation thus replaced the long and inordinate reliance on reason. Yet, regarding reason, the invitation of the Lord of the Restoration is “Wherefore, hearken and I will reason with you” (D&C 45:15).

70 Such hearkening enhances and stretches the mind, admitting one to the sun-drenched uplands of revealed understanding. “Come now and let us reason together” is an invitation to divine tutoring, but only the meek are wise enough to accept it (Isa. 1:18; see also 2 Ne. 32:7).

Even more fulness is to come, which will “reveal all things from the foundation of the world unto the end thereof” (2 Ne. 27:10; see also D&C 121:28–32).

The “glad tidings” of the Restoration came that faith “might increase in the earth” (D&C 1:21), a refreshing remedy for what Matthew Arnold described: The sea of faith Was once, too, at the full, …

But now I only hear Its melancholy, long, withdrawing roar, Retreating, to the breath Of the nightwind down the vast edges drear And naked shingles of the world. (“Dover Beach”) While we rightly rejoice over the Restoration, we should also learn from the lessons of the past by honoring God’s patterns of revelation, including the gift of the Holy Ghost by which needed anchoring and personal verification can come.

Let us also honor today’s “sowers of the seed,” the Apostles. Let us be wary about accommodating revealed theology to conventional wisdom. Let us lovingly nourish ourselves, our families, and Church flocks spiritually, so that we are not “wearied and faint in [our] minds” (Heb. 12:3).

Self-siftings do occur. President George Q. Cannon observed in 1875: “I am thankful that God allows those who do not keep his commandments to fall away, so that his Church may be cleansed, and, in this respect, this Church is different from any other that is upon the earth. … The sifting or weeding process has been going on from the commencement of this Church until the present time” (in Journal of Discourses, 18:84).

In the days ahead, “all things shall be in commotion” (D&C 88:91).

We may even have nostalgia for past days of obscurity (see D&C 1:30). Amid a drumroll of developments, complex and converging world conditions will bring both trials and opportunities.

Faithful Church members, however, will sense the crescendo in it all, even while being carried forward on the crest of breathtaking circumstances.

He whose name this church bears has promised that He will be in our midst (see D&C 6:32), lead us along (see D&C 78:18), go before us (see D&C 49:27; D&C 84:88), and even fight our battles (see D&C 98:37). He has further counseled, “Be not afraid of your enemies, for I have decreed in my heart … that I will prove you in all things, whether you will abide in my covenant, even unto death, that you may be found worthy” (D&C 98:14).

So let us have patience and faith as did Lehi who saw pointing fingers of scorn directed at those who grasped the iron rod, which rod, ironically, some of those same fingers once grasped (1 Ne. 8:27, 33). But, said Lehi, “we heeded them not.”

So, it should be with us! Brothers and sisters, being pointed in the right direction, we do not need to worry about being pointed at!

As Latter-day Saints, far from having a doctrinal famine, we do not yet fully sense the soaring comprehensiveness of the Restoration.

Provincially, we focus on our own little sectors and their little pieces of gospel tile—without seeing the breathtaking mosaic of the Restoration! For instance, revealed truths tell of the stunning vastness of God’s work with its plurality of “worlds without number”! (Moses 1:33; see also D&C 76:24). Yet, there is also incredible individualization as in the ordinances and promises of the holy temple.

We can best express our gratitude for this glorious fulness by developing a more full love for all of humankind. And why not, for the Restoration tells us who our neighbors really are!

Let our gratitude likewise be expressed by striving to become, attribute by attribute, more and more as Jesus is (see 3 Ne. 27:27). By so living, ours will not then be a mere appreciation of Jesus, nor a modest admiration of Him. Rather, ours will be an adoration of Jesus expressed by our emulation of Him! I so testify in the holy name of Jesus Christ, amen!

REDEEMER OF MY SOUL 71

October 15, 2023

As I ponder upon the words “Redeemer of My Soul” my heart takes comfort in knowing that Jesus Christ, literally is the Redeemer of my soul.

He is the Redeemer of your soul.

He is the Redeemer of all souls here upon this earth.

by David Holmquist

Do we seek for His abiding comfort?

Do we know His voice when He calls out to each one of us?

We are His sheep, and He is our Great Shephard, tending his flocks by day and by night,

He is our shadow by day. It is through his guiding direction that we can know where we are and where we need to be. As we walk along the path of life, seeking His guiding help, He is there to direct us through His Holy Spirit.

He beckons us to Follow Him. He beckons for us to Hear Him. He beckons for us to See Him. He beckons for us to Know Him.

As the storms of life beat upon you and me, and darkness overcomes our vision, we may feel lost and unsure of the safety in the steps that we take as we move forward.

Redeemer of Israel, Thou art our only delight!

He is our Pillar by night! When we are weary and tired, lost and scared, we reach out to him in the darkness and the strength of His hand becomes the solid pillar to which we can hold on.

Jesus Christ desires to bless all of His children. All of His children consist of all the peoples of the earth.

Do we hear Him? Do we know that He is there with open arms, ready to receive us?

Do we know that we are His children?

My heart calls out to Him for a blessing. A blessing for you and a blessing for me. A blessing for us all!

Photo Credit Sam Carter

Yes, it is hard, the storms are raging all about us, but there is a gentle voice that calls and can be heard through the blistering sound of the storm. It may seem faint, somewhat distant, and we struggle to pin the coordinates of that voice. Where is that faint sound coming from, we ask ourselves?

We look off into the distance, searching for something, we reach out with our hearts, and immediately, we recognize the voice that calls softly to us, “I am here, my dear precious child, be still and know that I am God!”

Photo Credit Mohamad Babayon

72 Thou art my King!

Thou art our King!

Thou art my Deliverer!

Thou art our Deliverer!

Thou art my all!

Thou art our all!

Where do I turn for peace?

Where in my need to know, where can I go?

It is in the comforting arms of our dear Savior, Jesus Christ, where we are able to feel that peace.

Do you believe this?

We have been told, and we know, that the Redeemer of Israel is coming to gather His sheep!

Do you feel this way my friend?

Does your heart call out for relief?

His love surrounds you and me. He does not play favorites with you and with me. We are all equal in His sight, and He loves us all equally.

Do you seek comfort in your every footstep?

I hear myself, asking in wonder...How is it possible for me to feel comfort when the storm is so violent? I tell myself, that I am weary and unsure about anything. I am sobbing, but I believe that the comfort is there as has been assured to me.

Zion is the crowning kingdom of peace, comfort and eternal love. He wants so deeply to lead us to Zion in all His love and glory.

Agency is a gift and blessing that He will never deny us of.

Photo Credit Zoltan Tasi

Photo Credit Josep Castells

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Some take comfort in this idea. They want ease, they don’t want to suffer, they don’t want to feel pain. They want life to be perfect. They want all to be well in Zion, with no worries and no struggle.

While no one enjoys pain and sorrow and affliction of all kinds, such is part of what this life is.

We must be tried; we must be tested. This is how we stretch. This is how we grow. Yes, it will be uncomfortable. It will be painful. It will be very difficult.

Yet, it is true that none of us are greater than our Savior, Jesus Christ. He is our Redeemer; He is the Rock of my Salvation. Is He the Rock of your Salvation? He did descend below it all. He did go through all, so that we could receive Salvation through Him.

Photo Credit Afif Ramdhasuma

Choice is the ultimate blessed gift and power that each of us have in our lives.

How do we us this blessed gift of choice?

How would He know how to succor us, if He did not understand all that we would go through?

We cannot become all that He knows that we can become, if we do not suffer through this life and make those choices that will strengthen us and ultimately make us better, more peaceable and loving people.

Force is the tool of Satan. I will bring you back home, he says, but it will never be your choice.

You will become subject to me, he says. I will receive all the glory and power, all will be mine, he says.

It will be easy, you will not have to suffer at all, no pain, no brokenness, just eternal bliss.

Choosing good in our afflictions. Not becoming bitter and angry, hateful and resentful toward others. This is part of our testing. Will we become a more kind, loving and gentle people?

War does not solve our problems. Peaceable compromise, love, and kindness, one towards another.

These are the seeds of a happy people. A people that God can work with. A people, that God can help. A people, that are willing to be humble and submit their will unto God, and by so doing, be led into eternal life, filled with joy, peace and happiness.

Photo Credit Diego PH

Photo Credit Joshua Earle

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Photo Credit Rod Long

The sinful road, to which I travel, in this life seems at times so long. I am a stranger in this world, and I find myself growing weary, as I am wandering in the desert, thirsty and hungry for the spiritual manna that comes from heaven.

I do not see His face, but I recognize the prints in His hands and the prints in His feet. The tokens have appeared, and my eyes have seen the Glory of God! His sandals, His white robe, show no signs of being worn.

With tear filled eyes, I fall to my knees, in the wide and baron expense of the desert. I cry unto Thee for peace!

There before me, and at my side, is my dear sweet Redeemer! Fear not my dear child, for your hour of redemption is near! I feel immediate peace and comfort overcoming my entire being. I beckon for him to walk with me. He walks by my side, and he offers me strength amidst my weary soul.

My foes rejoice, it is weakness they think, but God appears before me.

He tells me that He loves me. I weep in His presence, and He weeps with me. I make promises with Him and bury my weapons of rebellion deep within the desert ground. Never to return to them again.

Covenants have been made this day. A new sense of peace fills my heart, for I know that God loves me. I know that His Son, Jesus Christ, my Redeemer, my Rock and my Salvation, walked with me and talked with me that day.

I am a Child of God, and this beautiful news of truth brings good tidings to my soul. He instructs me to be patient and give it time. His love for me and all of His children here upon this earth is so deep.

Photo Credit FOYN

My heart is made anew. For I now know the love of God, and this is a love beyond mortal description.